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geekhack Community => Input Devices => Topic started by: tad on Tue, 31 March 2009, 05:57:34

Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: tad on Tue, 31 March 2009, 05:57:34
Anyone used one of these?

(http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/Pictures/Models/CST2545-5W_big.jpg)

http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/highperformance.html (http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/highperformance.html)

The specs indicate it's sturdy, but I'm interested in how well the laser sensor tracks compared to a Logitech or Kensington optical sensor. I can't stand laser mice (the tracking feels "mushy"), but I am looking for a smooth+precise trackball for gaming.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Wed, 08 April 2009, 20:26:04
I was just in a thread with ozar and were talking about this mouse, well the one that is opto-mechanical anyways. This laser one is more interesting now.
All of my current mice are optical, I think the G5 is laser. I don't notice a difference though.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ozar on Wed, 08 April 2009, 20:31:31
I'm really anxious to hear if these are good mice.

It looks great, and I like the scroll wheel being behind the ball rather than encircling it, like with the Kensington Expert.  Or at least I think I do, having never tried one.  :)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Wed, 08 April 2009, 20:34:37
The kensington expert is a fine mouse, the scroll ring is genius. The only downside is it is plastic on plastic. I don't know why kensington didn't design a better mechanism for that.
Having said that, it works great for me.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Wed, 08 April 2009, 20:48:20
Quote from: tad;26246
Anyone used one of these?

Show Image
(http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/Pictures/Models/CST2545-5W_big.jpg)


http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/highperformance.html (http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/highperformance.html)

The specs indicate it's sturdy, but I'm interested in how well the laser sensor tracks compared to a Logitech or Kensington optical sensor. I can't stand laser mice (the tracking feels "mushy"), but I am looking for a smooth+precise trackball for gaming.


Maybe its me, but this looks like a mouse that Darth Vader would use.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: D-EJ915 on Wed, 08 April 2009, 21:38:49
what do the 1/8" jacks do?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rdjack21 on Wed, 08 April 2009, 22:33:02
That is one of the ones I want to try out as well. Along with a few others. But first I have to recover from a keyboard spending binge. So it will be a while before I can start getting them.

Found the specs on this one and the more I read the more I like it. Much higher resolution than the other big ball track balls. Also those 1/8" jacks are for more buttons that can be attached. But I can't find a picture of these other buttons the spec sheet talks about. Also the only ones I've been able to find for sale is the one with out the extra jacks.

Oh here is the link to the specs if you want to take a look.
http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/highperformance.html
Title: I own one!
Post by: yamaha200 on Tue, 14 April 2009, 11:12:49
Well I'm glad I stumbled on to this thread. I have been using a CST2545W, which is like the one pictured here but with no external jacks. I use it for everything, internet, photoshop, gaming, etc. I've used every type of mouse from the MX Revolution to the G5. This trackball is very smooth compared to other trackballs. When playing games like Far Cry 2 and Battlefield Heros (I'm beta testing), this trackball makes aiming at moving targets easier. It has selectable Resolution between 400, 800, and 1600 just by holding the middle button and clicking the right button. I have my computer hooked up to my 37in HDTV @ 1080 Resolution and it only takes about 35 degree of movement to have the pointer move from one side of the screen to the other. If you are looking for the best trackball get this one. It is worth the money.

http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/index.html (http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/index.html)

Yamaha200
Title: Cst2545saw
Post by: yamaha200 on Tue, 14 April 2009, 11:15:07
Quote from: D-EJ915;84361
what do the 1/8" jacks do?


The jacks you see their are for the people that what to add two extra buttons on the trackball for a total of five, I believe.

Yamaha200
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ozar on Tue, 14 April 2009, 11:16:42
Quote from: yamaha200;85404
Well I'm glad I stumbled on to this thread.

I'm glad you did, too... welcome to the forums and thanks for the information regarding the trackball!  :cool:
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Tue, 14 April 2009, 11:26:38
Quote from: yamaha200;85404
Well I'm glad I stumbled on to this thread. I have been using a CST2545W, which is like the one pictured here but with no external jacks. I use it for everything, internet, photoshop, gaming, etc. I've used every type of mouse from the MX Revolution to the G5. This trackball is very smooth compared to other trackballs. When playing games like Far Cry 2 and Battlefield Heros (I'm beta testing), this trackball makes aiming at moving targets easier. It has selectable Resolution between 400, 800, and 1600 just by holding the middle button and clicking the right button. I have my computer hooked up to my 37in HDTV @ 1080 Resolution and it only takes about 35 degree of movement to have the pointer move from one side of the screen to the other. If you are looking for the best trackball get this one. It is worth the money.

http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/index.html (http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/index.html)

Yamaha200



Hey thats great. I ordered the same one but with laser and should have it by Friday. Have you used the Kensington Expert? If so, how does it  compare?

And yes, welcome to geekhack!
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: yamaha200 on Tue, 14 April 2009, 13:25:28
Quote from: bigpook;85409
Hey thats great. I ordered the same one but with laser and should have it by Friday. Have you used the Kensington Expert? If so, how does it  compare?

And yes, welcome to geekhack!


In my opinion, the CST trackball is better. To me, it rolls and tracks with less effort and more precise then any other.


Yamaha200
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Tue, 14 April 2009, 13:37:36
Quote from: yamaha200;85441
In my opinion, the CST trackball is better. To me, it rolls and tracks with less effort and more precise then any other.


Yamaha200


Thats pretty high praise : )
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rdjack21 on Tue, 14 April 2009, 13:40:16
Howdy Welcome to Geekhack. I'm actually glad to hear from someone that has it. Now I just need to save a little so I can get one. I'm currently using the Trackman wheel and wanting to try out other trackballs and was planning on using this as the starting point for looking at other trackballs.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Tue, 14 April 2009, 14:13:49
Quote from: ripster;85456
Oh man.  I'm tempted to get one and I don't even LIKE trackballs.  Actually I was going to get (for my wife) a USB CH DT225 but they sell OEM only (I tried) and over $200 at TrackballWorld isn't appealing.

The CH DT225 I have is built like a tank but this one sounds smoother.  I get approx 2 revolutions off of a flick of the finger.  A bit more than the Kensington expert.

Yamaha.  Do you know how the innards work?  I wonder if it's on rollers like a CH and if the laser is picking off it's signal off the actual ball or a wheel attached to the roller?  Does the scroll thing grind like the Kensington or is it smooth?

If you're comfortable popping one open and can take pics that would be appreciated (you can upload with "manage attachments" button).

- Ripster


wow. wo would have thunk it? : 0
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 14 April 2009, 14:18:31
GeekHack will make you do things would have never done otherwise. Hell, I don't even use ergo 'boards anymore. I don't date girls or have a life, either, but those might be unrelated.*
 
 
 
 
*And 100% false ;)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: yamaha200 on Tue, 14 April 2009, 14:26:38
Quote from: ripster;85456
Oh man.  I'm tempted to get one and I don't even LIKE trackballs.  Actually I was going to get (for my wife) a USB CH DT225 but they sell OEM only (I tried) and over $200 at TrackballWorld isn't appealing.

The CH DT225 I have is built like a tank but this one sounds smoother.  I get approx 2 revolutions off of a flick of the finger.  A bit more than the Kensington expert.

Yamaha.  Do you know how the innards work?  I wonder if it's on rollers like a CH and if the laser is picking off it's signal off the actual ball or a wheel attached to the roller?  Does the scroll thing grind like the Kensington or is it smooth?

If you're comfortable popping one open and can take pics that would be appreciated (you can upload with "manage attachments" button).

- Ripster


Well I don't have a camera right now to take a picture but the inside has 3 stainless steel rollers which holds the ball at the right distance and angle to the laser. The laser reads the movement off the actual ball movement. The scrolling wheel is Mechanical Optical and rollers smooth with no clicks or grinding.

I saw on either is thread or the other one about people saying the rollers will get "gunky" but CST says that the rollers on this one doesn't pick up stuff like other trackballs. They say just to spin the ball rapidly for a little bit to get the stuff off. This trackball would hardly get dirty because of how little the ball makes contact with the rollers and how much room is below the ball.

Yamaha200
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 14 April 2009, 14:28:51
Damn, I am not a big trackball fan, but I might even have to try one of these for myself.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: FKSSR on Tue, 14 April 2009, 14:29:38
haha.  itlnstln, I was just about to post the same thing...
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rdjack21 on Tue, 14 April 2009, 15:01:30
All bow to our new Trackball over lords....
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: FKSSR on Tue, 14 April 2009, 16:24:18
Did anyone order the opto-mechanical (http://www.trackballworld.com/40-151.html), or is everyone going for the purely optical (http://www.trackballworld.com/40-155.html)?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Tue, 14 April 2009, 16:50:07
Quote from: FKSSR;85545
Did anyone order the opto-mechanical (http://www.trackballworld.com/40-151.html), or is everyone going for the purely optical (http://www.trackballworld.com/40-155.html)?


I went with the optical one.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: yamaha200 on Tue, 14 April 2009, 17:28:52
Quote from: FKSSR;85545
Did anyone order the opto-mechanical (http://www.trackballworld.com/40-151.html), or is everyone going for the purely optical (http://www.trackballworld.com/40-155.html)?


The opto-mech are good but spend a little more and get the laser.

Preference > price

Yamaha200
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Tue, 14 April 2009, 17:36:59
Quote from: yamaha200;85554
The opto-mech are good but spend a little more and get the laser.

Preference > price

Yamaha200


So you think the laser is better then the opto-mech?
I don't really know either way myself.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Tue, 14 April 2009, 18:00:39
For whatever reason the opt-mechanical looks interesting to me and from what you guys are saying here, will last forever(?) If it is like the picture above then at least to me, it looks like a pretty decent design.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: FKSSR on Tue, 14 April 2009, 18:09:20
Yeah, but I would think that an all laser design would be more accurate, if done right.  I could be wrong, though, as we all know our preferences for mechanical input devices.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rdjack21 on Tue, 14 April 2009, 21:36:09
The problem with the opt-mechanical devices is the resolution of the opt-mechanical wheel. I read a spec sheet or web site that had the specs but I can't find it right now. All of the opt-mechanical trackballs had a resolution of 300-600 ticks per revolution of the ball. But the laser based devices had resolutions measured in DPI of ball travel.

I have had both types and I like the laser based ones much better. You don't have to spin the ball as much and when you need it you can get extremely fine control.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: FKSSR on Wed, 15 April 2009, 07:35:27
Quote from: ripster;85629
FKSSR, it looks like a laser escaped your trackball and punctured something.

What's with the blood on the keyboard?  Sick, dude...


It's the perfect combination of Metal and keyboards. >:)



I think the all laser is the route to go here with that DPI info.  Thanks for that, rdjack21!
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: tad on Wed, 15 April 2009, 23:30:44
Here are some nice pics showing the guts of the opto-mechanical version:

http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/ltraccleaning.html (http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/ltraccleaning.html)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: tad on Thu, 16 April 2009, 03:11:51
Heh, watch out for that "novelty 8-ball". Would make an "interesting" trackball experience, for sure.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rnak92a on Fri, 24 April 2009, 22:47:34
Has anyone tried to find the optional additional hardware switches for this?  I'm thinking of them as ways to map common Photoshop macros.

More, has anyone used this specific trackball for a period of time?  Reviews, impressions, etc?

Cheers,
~rn
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Fri, 24 April 2009, 22:50:47
I just got one about a week ago and I think there is another member here that has one also. So far its working out pretty good. I have some billiard balls on order, when I get them I will post some pics.
As of right now, I think its a decent trackball. The trackball is as smooth as anything I have from kensington and the scroll wheel at the top is very smooth.I like trackballs that can be used with the left hand so that includes the kensington expert and orbit.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rnak92a on Fri, 24 April 2009, 23:03:02
Quote from: bigpook;87193
I just got one about a week ago and I think there is another member here that has one also. So far its working out pretty good. I have some billiard balls on order, when I get them I will post some pics.
As of right now, I think its a decent trackball. The trackball is as smooth as anything I have from kensington and the scroll wheel at the top is very smooth.I like trackballs that can be used with the left hand so that includes the kensington expert and orbit.

bigpook,

How would you rate this against the Expert, as that's the other trackball I'm considering.  I'll query sales/CS about the availability of the additional hardware switches, as mapping them to Photoshop would save me serious time and work.

Thanks for the prompt reply.  By the way, where did you order your billiard balls?

Cheers,
~rn
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 25 April 2009, 06:53:58
Quote from: rnak92a;87199
bigpook,

How would you rate this against the Expert, as that's the other trackball I'm considering.  I'll query sales/CS about the availability of the additional hardware switches, as mapping them to Photoshop would save me serious time and work.

Thanks for the prompt reply.  By the way, where did you order your billiard balls?

Cheers,
~rn


Thats a tough call. I think the expert is a great trackball and am not sure which one to go with if I had to pick just one.

So far what I like about the CST is the scroll wheel  is very smooth, it has on the fly adjustment of DPI and its neat that I can swap out the trackball. It turns out that standard billiard balls can be used. I will post pics when they come in.

The kensington has 4 buttons versus 2 buttons on the CST(however, there is a button that is forward of the ball that can be used as a universal scroll/paste button. The kensington scroll ring is not as smooth as the CST but the scroll ring is adequate and its location (around the ball) is genius to me. The one major negative with the kensington is the supplied wrist rest. The actual material is fine but its such a cheaply designed part that connects it to the trackball base. Its a flap of plastic with 2 small plastic tits. Mine have broken off and I need to figure away to fix it as I need to use the wrist rest with this particular trackball.

Both trackballs are comfortable for me. Once noticeable difference between the two is that the kensington is a bit wider.
Which allows me to use my thumb to activate the button. The CST is a little bit narrower and instead of the thumb I use my forefinger.
Both trackballs are physically large and both of them are easy on the eye.
 On another note, the CST is a industrial grade trackball The cord is larger/thicker and the mouse itself seems to be over-built. I can imagine Bubba  using one of these in some wharehouse, one hand on a plate of gooey, greasy ribs and the other hand glomming this mouse.
Lots of dust, dirty hands and greasy fingers. I think the CST would survive in this environment, the kensington not so much.

I ordered the balls here:

check it (http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/at-a-glance.html?ie=UTF8&isAmazonFulfilled=0&orderID=002-3644589-7821844&marketplaceSeller=1&seller=APQBJ7M73PO0F)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rnak92a on Sat, 25 April 2009, 10:30:42
Quote from: bigpook;87216
Thats a tough call. I think the expert is a great trackball and am not sure which one to go with if I had to pick just one.

So far what I like about the CST is the scroll wheel  is very smooth, it has on the fly adjustment of DPI and its neat that I can swap out the trackball. It turns out that standard billiard balls can be used. I will post pics when they come in.

The kensington has 4 buttons versus 2 buttons on the CST(however, there is a button that is forward of the ball that can be used as a universal scroll/paste button. The kensington scroll ring is not as smooth as the CST but the scroll ring is adequate and its location (around the ball) is genius to me. The one major negative with the kensington is the supplied wrist rest. The actual material is fine but its such a cheaply designed part that connects it to the trackball base. Its a flap of plastic with 2 small plastic tits. Mine have broken off and I need to figure away to fix it as I need to use the wrist rest with this particular trackball.

Both trackballs are comfortable for me. Once noticeable difference between the two is that the kensington is a bit wider.
Which allows me to use my thumb to activate the button. The CST is a little bit narrower and instead of the thumb I use my forefinger.
Both trackballs are physically large and both of them are easy on the eye.
 On another note, the CST is a industrial grade trackball The cord is larger/thicker and the mouse itself seems to be over-built. I can imagine Bubba  using one of these in some wharehouse, one hand on a plate of gooey, greasy ribs and the other hand glomming this mouse.
Lots of dust, dirty hands and greasy fingers. I think the CST would survive in this environment, the kensington not so much.

I ordered the balls here:

check it (http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/at-a-glance.html?ie=UTF8&isAmazonFulfilled=0&orderID=002-3644589-7821844&marketplaceSeller=1&seller=APQBJ7M73PO0F)

Thanks, bigpook.  Another question:  where did you buy the CST?  I'm looking for the CST2545-5W (laser) that can accommodate the additional hardware switches (for a 5 button configuration) and for the hardware switches themselves that no one seems to stock :frusty: :mad:.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 25 April 2009, 11:08:59
Quote from: rnak92a;87235
Thanks, bigpook.  Another question:  where did you buy the CST?  I'm looking for the CST2545-5W (laser) that can accommodate the additional hardware switches (for a 5 button configuration) and for the hardware switches themselves that no one seems to stock :frusty: :mad:.


I got mine here:

check it (http://www.trackballworld.com/40-155.html)

you may want to email them and ask them
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 25 April 2009, 11:22:59
I got the billiard balls today. So here are some pics

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/tb/cst-back.jpg)
back plate



(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/tb/img_2454.jpg)
an inside look

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/tb/img_2457.jpg[/IMG
]scroll wheel and one of the rollers


[IMG]http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/tb/img_2458.jpg)
optical sensor

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/tb/img_2459.jpg)
red ball on assembly

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/tb/img_2461.jpg)
red ball!

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/tb/img_2463.jpg)
red ball 3

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/tb/img_2466.jpg.jpg)
yellow ball in assembly

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/tb/img_2467.jpg)
yellow ball!

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/tb/img_2468.jpg)
yellow ball 1


(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/tb/img_2469.jpg)
8 ball in assembly

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/tb/img_2470.jpg)
8 ball !


I am thinking I should have also gotten the 5 ball which is orange. Dang, if I keep this up I will need to get a pool table.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 25 April 2009, 11:52:04
Quote from: ripster;87246
Hey, I like the yellow.

All you need now is to get a Touch Screen and use a Pool Cue as a stylus.

- Ripster


Yeah, the yellow is nice. Thanks for the idea though. I would have never thought to try it out until you posted about it.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rnak92a on Sat, 25 April 2009, 14:51:28
Thanks, bigpook.  I e-mailed about the L-Trac CST 2545-5W (black case, black cable, black ball), but neither ergoguys--who listed the product--or trackball world stock it.  The laser model that's switch compatible would be ideal kit, but the challenge seems to be finding someone who stocks it.  I can always e-mail CST about a direct order, though they'll likely be the most expensive source for it.

I agree with the assessment of the look of the billiard balls in this unit:  they're first class.  Personally, I'd use a 2 ball.

Thanks again for your time and help, bigpook.  As I track down what I'm after, I'll return to the thread and post what I bought, from whom, and costs, should others be interested.

Cheers,
~rn
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rdjack21 on Sat, 25 April 2009, 21:12:03
Quote from: rnak92a;87272
Thanks again for your time and help, bigpook.  As I track down what I'm after, I'll return to the thread and post what I bought, from whom, and costs, should others be interested.

Cheers,
~rn

Yes please do. I'm interested in the same one but am not quite ready to purchase yet. So anything you find out would be a great help to me. As well as finding out about adding the extra switches as well.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rnak92a on Sat, 25 April 2009, 21:48:39
Quote from: rdjack21;87320
Yes please do. I'm interested in the same one but am not quite ready to purchase yet. So anything you find out would be a great help to me. As well as finding out about adding the extra switches as well.

You bet.

I have e-mails in to CST sales and that of trackball world about availability of the laser model and compatible switches for it.  Ergoguys informed me they're not going to stock this model and pointed me to a range of horrendously expensive switches that would be at odds with the trackball.  Those who know me from around here know that's not going to cut it. :smile:

I'll post responses from whomever answers my inquires.

Cheers,
~rn
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: iMav on Mon, 27 April 2009, 04:14:32
Dang.  I should know better than to read threads like this.  Now I'm itching for one of these, equipped with a 13 billiard ball.  :) (of course, you'd have to have several balls, so you can change color to match your mood)

Bigpook, are the billiard balls significantly heavier than the stock ball?  (wondering if the heavier ball would have any long-term negative affect on the longevity of the housing, rollers, etc)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Mon, 27 April 2009, 04:46:46
iMav

the stock ball feels about the same as the billiard ball. I don't have a scale to measure the difference, but they seem pretty close.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rnak92a on Mon, 27 April 2009, 12:00:12
A follow-up to my previous post (http://geekhack.org/showpost.php?p=87327&postcount=47) about availability of the CST2545-5W:

An e-mail from Mr. Rolling at CST (emphasis and parenthetical comments mine):

Quote from: Robert Rolling
Hello,

Most of our resellers offer the CST2545-5W only for special orders. I would recommend calling or emailing Trackballworld.com. They are the reseller that deals the most with our L-Trac series. If they don't have any in stock we could drop ship the order to you. (he didn't mention cost, but I'd imagine it to be on par with resellers--I'll edit in this information after I hear from/contact trackball world).
   
The CST2545-5W can use any external button with a 1/8" mono jack. We are currently  working on getting switches for a trackball but would not be ready for a while. If you look online, you can find different companies that make buttons that are compatible with the -5W.

Rob,
CST  
I have an e-mail in to trackball world, but they've not yet responded.  If they don't respond today by e-mail, I'll phone them and post their response about ordering the CST2545-5W.  As for the switches, a company called Tash makes superior 1/8" mono jack switches, but egads, they're expensive.  I'll look around, see what I can find, and post back here about that, too.

Cheers,
~rn.
Title: One remaining on shelf now!
Post by: MsKeyboard on Wed, 29 April 2009, 11:55:15
rnak92a,
We currently have one left in stock, cst2545-5w-RC (part number #MLTRACSAUB), free shipping.
See here:http://www.fentek-ind.com/laser-trackball.htm#mltracub

Let us know if we can help....Later

Ms Keyboard
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Wed, 29 April 2009, 12:31:14
that link says its low profile. what does that mean?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rnak92a on Wed, 29 April 2009, 12:58:55
Quote from: MsKeyboard;88090
rnak92a,
We currently have one left in stock, cst2545-5w-RC (part number #MLTRACSAUB), free shipping.
See here:http://www.fentek-ind.com/laser-trackball.htm#mltracub

Let us know if we can help....Later

Ms Keyboard

I replied to your PM, Ms Keyboard, and indicated interest in it.  Please see my PM about total cost including shipping to my location.

The larger question, though, is whether you have switches available for this trackball, and if so, what type and at what cost (for each or as a pair).

Thanks for your assistance!

Cheers,
~rn.

Ripster:

Thanks for letting me know about this!  You could have easily sniped it Metal Gear Solid Snake style and not said a word.  I hope I'll someday be able to repay your kindness.

salut,
~rn
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rnak92a on Thu, 30 April 2009, 03:09:23
ripster,

You have a PM from me.

Cheers,
~rn
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rnak92a on Thu, 30 April 2009, 09:37:50
I'm glad you're getting it, Ripster.  I'm passing altogether and have given up on this thing, for not even the damn Wonder Pets can find a pair of matching external switches that don't cost as much as the trackball.  So, I
l'll make do with the Kensington Expert Mouse.

Cheers,
~rn.

No one has
the trackball swiiiitches
the trackball swiiiitches
that would let me map
photoshop maaacrooooos to them

This....is....sewious!

(http://gummibunny.com/images/Wonder_pets_ming-ming_duckling002.jpg)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rnak92a on Thu, 30 April 2009, 09:53:08
Ripster can set the record for WPM with his feet, DDR-Ultramix style.  Go for it, man.

A big thanks to ripster and bigpook (and everyone else who helped out) in my maniacal quest for this thing.  I'd buy it in a flat second if someone had the switches!

Hello, resellers of the switch adaptable trackball!  If you sell the trackball that accepts switches, it's logical to sell switches for it, too!!  Otherwise, just sell the model without the switch jacks and call it a day.

Cheers,
~rn

Even the Wonder Pets, equipped with their magical Fly Boat, couldn't help with this one.  I had a nice time meeting Linny, Tuck, and Ming-Ming, too.  I also found they very much enjoy celery.

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OOEKI6zfFus/SLV-ZlcjNUI/AAAAAAAAAd0/PiDKdEBfSmM/s400/wonderpets-in-flyboat_pr-01.jpg)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Fri, 01 May 2009, 21:49:25
I thought I would post a followup on the CST trackball. After using it for a week or so for hours on end I started to develop pain in my wrist.

Thats a first for me, at least when it comes to trackballs. I keep my forearm relatively level with the desk and avoid any weird angles that don't feel natural.

I find the hard plastic wrist rest difficult to settle in on. I find myself moving my hand quite a bit when I use it. So I went back to the kensington expert and am using the wrist rest that the kensington comes with. If you remember the plastic pins broke off ( really cheap design) and it turned out to be a quick fix. I used a couple fo strips of velcro to bind the wrist rest to the mouse. It works fine.

I got to say that the kensington was noticeably more comfortable to use, like straightaway more comfortable and I hate to say this but the kensington trackball is alot smoother then the CST. Not the CST is bad, its not and it works fine but the trackball on the kensington is incredibly smooth.

I am going to run it this way for a week or so and then switch back to the CST and see how it works out.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ozar on Fri, 01 May 2009, 22:19:47
Thanks for the update.

Hope it all works out because the CST sure looks nice.  If not, at least you gave it fair chance.  I'm going to hold off on ordering one until I hear more about how it works out for you.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rdjack21 on Fri, 01 May 2009, 23:51:13
Yea that is one of the reasons I'm hesitant to purchase one. I just can't help but think that you would have to move your hand around to operate one of the bigger track balls. I've never had any issues with the Trackman Marble/Wheel. And from an ergonomics perspective I have yet to see any thing that I think would be more comfortable. You just lay your hand on it and every thing is exactly where it should be. Your hand just sits naturally on it.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 02 May 2009, 05:08:07
I am going to wait a week or so until the pain goes away.
I am thinking a wrist rest may be the solution for me as both the expert and CST have the hand sitting high up.However, the expert has the rubber foam rest  that does a good job of keeping my wrist in a neutral position.
I think thats the problem. With the CST my wrist is angled which is causing the issue. These issues may not effect/affect (I never know which one to use) others as it has me. I am really surprised as I go use a lot of different mice and this is the first time this has come up. I think the CST is a great trackball, it may not work for someone with small hands, but neither would the kensington expert.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 02 May 2009, 08:57:27
I may have found a solution. I need to increase the angle in order to keep my wrist straight. I would like a more visually appealing solution, something that doesn't require bondo or putty : )

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/mod/img_2492.jpg)

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/mod/img_2494.jpg)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rnak92a on Sat, 02 May 2009, 10:21:16
Quote from: ripster;88620
Oh, Pook, you coulda told me earlier!

Hah, and I just ordered one.  Well I haven't had that problem with the Expert or the CH DT225 but then I don't use them exclusively.  I'm going to try alternating mouse on right and trackball on left just to give my right wrist a break.   So we'll see when it arrives.

- Ripster

P.S. If desperate I could try a variation of Chimera's epoxy putty trackball mod or some kind of foam wrist rest attachment.

Ripster,

Please don't ruin that trackball with epoxy putty.  If you find it doesn't work out for you, I'll buy it from you.  

Cheers,
~rn
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: MANISH7 on Sat, 02 May 2009, 10:56:01
Wow, good thing I resisted the temptation and went with what I thought would be the better idea. Sometimes when members get cool looking, expensive stuff you want to try it too. I refrained from trackballs because your fingers (hence connective tissues) are constantly in motion to move it around. Instead I opted for the Evoluent Vertical Mouse. It keeps your forearm / wrists in a neutral position and you move the device with your arm rather than the hand or wrists. Very healthy, comfortable, and easy to use. I ordered the one for lefties and paid less than half of the price for a CST.

Just like iMav, I'm a left handed person that uses right hand mice. Having a vertical mouse on the left side (if you can handle using your left hand) is better than trackball for the reasons I described and its also better than a mouse bridge (I have 3 of them) because the mouse isn't elevated. I like the concept of a vertical mouse better than trackballs and regular mice.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 02 May 2009, 11:19:31
Actually, moving the ball around is not the issue. For me its the angle of the wrist when it is resting on the mouse. The kensington expert come with a wrist rest that negates the issue, I wish the CST had some kind of something to elevate it, at least for me. And oddly, the cheapest one I have ( that is not a logitech) is the kensington orbit which fits perfectly.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 02 May 2009, 11:26:09
Its not a bad idea to wait a few weeks or so and let the situation settle down.
I am back on the orbit for now as it doesn't require a wrist rest and fits my hand perfectly. Once the pain goes away I will try out the CST elevated.
I hope it works out as I do like this trackball.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 02 May 2009, 11:33:14
Its not a good idea to judge something based one persons opinion.
You say you have one on order so I am curious to see how it works out for you after having it for a week or two.
Keep in mind that I use my keyboard/mouse for hours on end. This may not be an issue at all for a casual user.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 02 May 2009, 11:57:03
I tried the expert without the wrist rest but didn't like it. We are all different and what works for one may not work for someone else.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 02 May 2009, 16:24:57
Ok, I think I got the CST where it needs to be.

I need to redo it as the first attempt was more of a hack job to see if it would even work.

Just for reference here is the kensington orbit, it fits perfectly in my hand.

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/mod/foam-mod/orbit-ref.jpg)

Here is the orbit with my hand basically palming it.
Notice the angle of the wrist.

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/mod/foam-mod/hand-on-orbit.jpg)


Here is the hacked foam wrist pad, part 1

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/mod/foam-mod/CST-001.jpg)

Here is part 2 with the filler piece in place.

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/mod/foam-mod/CST-002.jpg)


Here is part 2 in all its hacked glory. I did it with a razor knife and it was hard to be accurate. I didn't want to slip and slice an artery : )

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/mod/foam-mod/foam-001.jpg)

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/mod/foam-mod/foam-002.jpg)

And finally, here is my hand at rest on the CST. My wrist is now much straighter then before.

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/mod/foam-mod/hand-on-cst.jpg)



I have another wrist rest to play with. Ideally, I would be able to carve it as one piece. Let me drink a few beers and give it a shot.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 02 May 2009, 17:50:14
Its still fugly but its one piece. Anyone have a better idea/way of doing this let me know. But it is helping my wrist.

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/mod-final/wrist-rest.jpg)

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/mod-final/foam.jpg)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: iMav on Sun, 03 May 2009, 01:47:10
Looks like something lam could fashion out of wood and sell to all the CST trackball owners.  ;)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rnak92a on Sun, 03 May 2009, 01:55:53
Probably so, iMav.  lam might find tidy profits in a marketplace posting for that item.  

Cheers,
~rn
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sun, 03 May 2009, 07:56:01
I haven't seen lam in awhile, curious as to what he would have to say about that.  I agree he would /could make something a bit more easier on the eye. My fabricating skills are not so hot.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sun, 03 May 2009, 11:44:02
yeah, thats pretty much it in a nutshell.  I carved out the bottom so the rest rides up almost 2 inches onto the the base. I think thats the problem for me. The slope from from the crest to the bottom is too steep. The kensington expert does not have that problem, as long as you use the wrist rest.

YMMV of course and it may not even effect/affect you at all.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: itlnstln on Mon, 04 May 2009, 07:07:58
OT, but is that a CD case for the Miles Davis Quintet in the third pic, bigpook?  If so, that's good stuff.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Mon, 04 May 2009, 09:44:51
Quote from: itlnstln;88937
OT, but is that a CD case for the Miles Davis Quintet in the third pic, bigpook?  If so, that's good stuff.


: ) yes it is.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Mon, 04 May 2009, 11:43:48
I have:

Kind of Blue

Birth of the Cool

In a Silent Way

Miles Davis and John Coltrane

Walkin'

Cookin'

Workin'

Steamin'

Relaxin'

and yes.....*****es Brew

I think there are more but I can't remember.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: itlnstln on Mon, 04 May 2009, 11:58:32
The Miles Davis and John Coltrane stuff is flat out amazing.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Mon, 04 May 2009, 13:58:56
Quote from: itlnstln;88969
The Miles Davis and John Coletrain stuff is flat out amazing.


So is the Coltrane and Thelonious Monk CD.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Mon, 04 May 2009, 16:30:56
Quote from: ripster;88954
O'Cmon.... it's not my pressing of "Kind of Blue", or "Cookin'".

Don't tell me it's "*****es Brew"!

- Ripster

? Actually, its this:

check it (http://www.amazon.com/Steamin-Miles-Davis-Quintet/dp/B000SQJ2N2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1241472581&sr=1-1)


From one of the reviews. I think this is some of his greatest stuff. Miles Davis had some great talent behind him and it shows here. Highly recommended.

"Steamin' was the last to be released of the four classic albums created from the marathon two day sessions in 1956, which were recorded to fulfill Davis's Prestige contract. The quintet consisted of Davis on trumpet, John Coltrane on tenor sax, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. This is the second of the four albums that I've purchased, the other in my collection being Workin' With the Miles Davis Quintet."
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: mir_j on Tue, 05 May 2009, 22:55:26
greetings - joined just to reply to this thread:

I recently purchased the ltrac based on trying out a few trackballs with the smaller ball, emailing with CST customer service, and reading this thread which I have been following with interest.  I thought I would share a few comments I had.   First, I found the trackball a lot heavier to move around than the smaller balls (ie. logitech trackman marble)   I also feel like it is more difficult to spin it in one direction than the other- I have cleaned the bearings, but I have a feeling one of the bearings is not turning as well as the others.  I will see if it breaks in a little.  I also noticed that the L-TRAC has a slightly loud sound when rolling that resonates a little with the large hollow plastic enclosure, which I was not expecting.  


It helps to tilt the case a little similar to bigpooks experiments to get a comfortable hand position for me, I did it by just propping up the close end with an eraser. I am also having trouble finding a good hand position to use - perhaps someone can fill me in with a tip?  I find the side buttons inconvenient since I am almost always clicking on the thinnest part of the button (directly to the left and right of the ball).  I can make good use of the lower fat part of the button by moving my hand down, but it is very difficult to use the middle click or the scroll wheel this way.  It is difficult for me to use the top half of the buttons because the ball is located more at my palm!

I also have to preform a lot of click-and-drag moves with the middle button which was very inconvenient.  I have solved this by switching the middle and right button positions in the provided software, but the top button on the trackball is still very inconvenient - I find myself moving the cursor by rolling the ball up when reaching for the top button or the scroll wheel.

All in all, I am questioning whether my purchase was worth the cost, but I will try it out for a week or two to see if it is just a matter of adjusting.   I would be interested to hear any thoughts relating to the quality and smoothness of the cursor motion from other owners and whether this is consistent in every direction.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ozar on Tue, 05 May 2009, 23:09:38
Welcome to the forums, mir_j, and thanks for posting your comments regarding this device!  :cool:

I've been considering purchasing one, so all comments help me with the decision.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rnak92a on Wed, 06 May 2009, 00:58:22
Thanks for posting back about this, Ripster.

If some company would sell the #&@*& matching switches that utilize the 1/8" jacks and don't cost both arms and half a leg, I'd buy them and this trackball.

Cheers,
~rn
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rnak92a on Wed, 06 May 2009, 02:54:19
I wonder if MsKeyboard has buckling springs or clicky switches?  :lol:  Whomever she is and however configured, she's helpful and kind enough.  It's not her fault Fentek doesn't sell the 1/8" jack compatible switches.  :frusty:

Cheers,
~rn
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Wed, 06 May 2009, 06:01:59
I have had the CST for a week or so and came close to sending it back. I modified a wrist rest to keep my hand from being at an awkward angle but will try out using an eraser to kick the bottom up.
I can see where this mouse can be a problem for people with small hands. I have fairly large hands and my middle finger reachs the scroll wheel with no problem. I am now using my thumb mostly to right click but sometimes use the forefinger. Left click with the pinky or ring finger. Doing this puts the ball just fore of my palm and it works out pretty good.
Will this end up being my daily driver? I don't really know yet. The kensington expert and orbit work just as well for me. But then again its normal for me to swap out input devices on short notice.
On another note, I won a CH trackball on ebay, don't have a pic but ripster has posted here about it. Its got a 9 pin serial on it so I had to order a serial board to accomodate. Will post when I get all that going and see how it compares.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Wed, 06 May 2009, 12:38:13
ripster, thanks for mentioning that. I am on a 24" screen and that could be a problem. Hopefully I can jack the acceleration. One of the nice things about the CST is the on-the-fly DPI adjustment.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Rajagra on Wed, 06 May 2009, 15:53:48
Quote from: ripster;89471
I was surprised when hooking it up to my computer the rather low sensitivity - I have to really jack up my mouse settings to get it to scroll the entire screen (2 1/2 revolutions for me!).  I think you're on Unix so maybe there's a way to fine tune the thing.


Is this due to Windows mouse acceleration being on by default - and unconfigurable in XP (and later versions?)

I have a TrackMan Marble FX plugged into an XP machine, and it has 2 modes - moving like a snail or flying across the screen when you flick it. I have no way to configure it because SetPoint doesn't list it. (I already have 2 versions of SetPoint running, I don't want to load up a third LOL.)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: cchan on Wed, 06 May 2009, 16:03:27
Quote from: Rajagra;89578
Is this due to Windows mouse acceleration being on by default - and unconfigurable in XP (and later versions?)

I have a TrackMan Marble FX plugged into an XP machine, and it has 2 modes - moving like a snail or flying across the screen when you flick it. I have no way to configure it because SetPoint doesn't list it. (I already have 2 versions of SetPoint running, I don't want to load up a third LOL.)
Ugh, SetPoint drops support for older pointing devices? I already hate Logitech for it being a 60 megabyte download.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Wed, 06 May 2009, 19:05:13
I don't have an eraser to use to kick up the CST but I did use some rolled up refrigerator liner. It actually works too. I can get the right height/rise for my hand to work.
This is a temporary solution. Now I am thinking of making a wedge out of wood and painting it black. I am not to handy with wood  though, but it should be fairly simple to do.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: mir_j on Thu, 07 May 2009, 16:35:02
it occurred to me that turning the l-trac 180 degrees makes it a lot easier to use all of the buttons... anyone know of a software that can reverse the axes and buttons for mice?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Thu, 07 May 2009, 18:29:24
Looks interesting, but from what I see it doesnt seem to have any advantage over my Expert Mouse (Unlike a lot of people, I amn't bothered by the scroll-wheel's noise/feel) but on the other hand looks less comfortable to use. The ability to change the sensitivity looks cool though.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Thu, 07 May 2009, 19:36:26
Sadly, I have to agree. I think the kensington expert with wrist pad sets the bar here, the orbit is good too even if it is only a two button mouse.

While the CST can change the DPI on the fly which is a good thing, its really not as important to me, since once its set I am pretty much done with it. I have no issues setting mouse speed and sensitivity in the control panel for the expert.

Still though, the CST is not a bad mouse. But if you already have a kensington expert then you can probably give the CST a pass. Unless, of course, you LIKE trackballs and want to add it to an ever growing collection : )
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Thu, 07 May 2009, 20:08:23
ripster

you were mentioning how the CH trackball how slow acceleration. If you are running linux you can fine tune your acceleration/sensitivity with the xset command.

xset m 5 2

m is for mouse

5 is acceleration

2 is sensitivity/threshold

the numbers just need to be integers.

man xset for more info.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Thu, 07 May 2009, 20:23:40
I am thinking this can be the storm trooper mouse, it would complement the darth mouse...

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/CST/Evolution_plum.jpg)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Thu, 07 May 2009, 21:37:19
I was thinking the same thing, so much so that I think I am going to return the CST and try the evolution. I wanted to like the CST but its causing me to much pain in my elbow. I saw your post on removing the armrest and thought the same. Then I said wait a minute...the kensingtons I have do not cause me any grief. So there I am.
We'll see how that works out.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: iMav on Mon, 18 May 2009, 03:00:24
Bigpook, did you end up returning the CST?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Mon, 18 May 2009, 04:40:07
Quote from: iMav;91412
Bigpook, did you end up returning the CST?


Yes, I did. I am now mousing on the right hand side and hoping this pain in my elbow will go away.  I am disappointed with how that all turned out.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Mon, 18 May 2009, 17:36:34
To all that may be interested. Please don't take my opinion as anything else concerning the CST mouse. I think its a fine trackball with a great scrollwheel.

Unfortunately for me, that after using it non-stop for over three weeks I developed a soreness in my left elbow. Its to the point where I now have to mouse on the right hand side just to give my left elbow a break.

YMMV on this and I am surprised that this has happened to me. Please don't automatically make the assumption that the same will happen to you.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Fri, 22 May 2009, 11:47:56
Thats pretty cool ripster. Looks like you have a 5 button mouse now. I guess the challenge now is to make it look all pretty. Please post pics as you progress forward.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: watduzhkstand4 on Fri, 22 May 2009, 11:59:52
nice mod ripster. I'm loving the 3 ball =D
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Fri, 22 May 2009, 12:05:18
when its all said and done, will  you be able to hide everything on the inside of the mouse? Or will the two jacks have to be exposed?

Yeah, in some sense, trackballs have a look that only a mother can love. Thankfully you don't have to look at them while you use them.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Tue, 26 May 2009, 20:56:37
Nice work ripster : )
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Tue, 26 May 2009, 21:12:32
you must have some fairly decent tools. Its a small piece of wood to be working on, no?
Hate to think what it would like if I had to make it    : O
Norm would not be proud.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: MsKeyboard on Tue, 26 May 2009, 21:15:23
Ripster,
I am going to send a copy of the picture to the guys @ CST, they should get a kick out of this mod.  Looks great!  Nice job.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Tue, 26 May 2009, 21:17:03
yeah, it doesn't match the texture of the mouse, but its 'rubberized' right? I suppose that it will take a beating but still hold up. Besides, its not like you look at the mouse while you use it anyways.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: rdjack21 on Tue, 26 May 2009, 21:25:00
Quote from: ripster;92843
It was fun too shaping that wood.  It's hilarious to watch dads work with their sons these days on pinewood derby cars (one of my friends is a boy scout leader).   Their dads are spending HOURs scouring the internet, buying parts, getting tools, and perfecting the design while the kid watches.

LOL Know what you mean. In our pack we had a build your pinewood derby car day. I really could not believe how all these dads were doing all the work and would not let their son's touch the car. Me I helped but my son did all the work painted it sanded it every thing but the wheels I did those as I did not want him hurting himself with the tools needed to polish the nails. We did not get first place but he had fun and thats really all that matters. Next year I may let him do the wheels as well it depends on if he has learned how to be carfull yet. At 7 he still does not grasp how easy it is to get hurt with power tools.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: chrismar on Wed, 27 May 2009, 00:42:51
Quote from: bigpook;84354
The kensington expert is a fine mouse, the scroll ring is genius. The only downside is it is plastic on plastic. I don't know why kensington didn't design a better mechanism for that.
Having said that, it works great for me.
I found the same ball bearing dimensions in stainless steel (from one of Microsoft's trackball devices) and replaced the plastic ones in my Kensington EM. I have not encountered any post modification issues with materials concerning weight bearing, possible scarring, resolution or ratios.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: o2dazone on Wed, 27 May 2009, 08:36:43
Quote from: ripster;92858
Doesn't understand the joy of finding the right size metric bolt with the right size nut!


He will when he's older...if you catch my drift
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Wed, 27 May 2009, 09:30:20
Quote from: chrismar;92873
I found the same ball bearing dimensions in stainless steel (from one of Microsoft's trackball devices) and replaced the plastic ones in my Kensington EM. I have not encountered any post modification issues with materials concerning weight bearing, possible scarring, resolution or ratios.


Please elaborate on that if you would. I take it you were able to swap out the plastic "ring" on the expert? And now you have a stainless steel ring?!

If you could, please post some pics.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: itlnstln on Wed, 27 May 2009, 10:35:19
Quote from: o2dazone;92898
He will when he's older...if you catch my drift

Especially if he likes the European women.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: CreamyNutButter on Mon, 20 July 2009, 23:56:05
Quote from: tad;82842
Anyone used one of these?

Show Image
(http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/Pictures/Models/CST2545-5W_big.jpg)


http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/highperformance.html (http://www.clearlysuperiortech.com/highperformance.html)

The specs indicate it's sturdy, but I'm interested in how well the laser sensor tracks compared to a Logitech or Kensington optical sensor. I can't stand laser mice (the tracking feels "mushy"), but I am looking for a smooth+precise trackball for gaming.


I hate all laser and optical mice and trackballs for some odd reason, and usually experience better precision with an analog mouse or trackball.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: CreamyNutButter on Tue, 21 July 2009, 01:13:29
Quote from: ripster;103543
So... what do you think of the Mouse-Trak?  That is one huge trackball.


It's pretty good, but I need to wait until the PS/2 to USB adapter comes in the mail so I can use it on my laptop.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Fri, 12 March 2010, 05:38:10
Finally got my hands on one. Initial impressions are definitely good. I'll post up more thoughts as I use it more.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 03 April 2010, 09:23:42
...and I've used it more.

My first impression was that it wasn't anything that my Kensington didn't offer. After using it for a while and going back to the Kensington I realized that I was completely wrong.

The steel rollers on the CST alone make it worth the extra over the Kensington. Despite regular cleaning, the Kensington just gunks itself up too easily, after a few months of use the dirt really gets itself inside the rollers and is practically impossible to remove. I'm sure if I disassembled it and cleaned it out it would go away, but it seems pretty stupid that I have to do that after a few months, especially given that I keep my stuff clean and don't use it with greasy hands or whatever.

As a consequence, the ball in the KEM feels like it's suspended in treacle. And if you roll it too fast, or try and make particularly fine movements, it doesn't roll properly and the ball jumps, a problem exasperated by the fact that the ball is not secured in place. In the CST, the ball just rolls smoothly, and after several weeks of use, I still haven't had to clean it yet. It also feels far more responsive, and the ability to change sensitivity is great.

In terms of ergonomics, the CST wins again. Obviously YMMV, and bigpook found that the CST caused him agony to use, but here's what I think - in the KEM, the ball sits up quite high which means that while the wrist rest is good for your... wrist, you have to use it with your fingers outstreched quite high. In the CST, the shape of it allows your hand to lie on it which gives better support. If you want to move your hand to reach the scroll wheel, or to get a different grip on the ball, you can just slide your hand up and down and you still get the same effect, whereas the KEM's wrist rest is only really comfortable if the base of your hand is resting at the bottom of the 'hump' on it.

The CST destroys the KEM in terms of build quality. It's made from tough ABS plastic and has the single thickest cord I've ever seen attached to a pointing device. The KEM feels cheap and plasticky by comparison. One thing I'll say is that the CST has a sort of "Unicomp finish" to it - it's very durable, but there's plenty of dimples and flashes across the case. The shiny black ball tends to show up dirt more than the speckled grey one of the KEM.

In the CST the ball is permanently fixed into place. One of the problems I had with the KEM was that it used to fall out if you were carrying it in a bag or whatever. Also, the KEM's wrist rest is attached by very flimsy contacts... I used to be quite paranoid when leaving in a bag lest it bended too much and snapped. The CST doesn't have this issue at all. Of course, in order to clean it, you have to dismantle it, but this is nowhere as difficult as dismantling the KEM - you remove three Philips screws and it just opens up.

In terms of features, the Kensington has the scrollwheel, which is pretty nifty, and the software supports various features. Of course, Kensington doesn't support the thing any more and you're stuck with drivers that only work under XP or Mac OS X up to 10.4. There are third party drivers that support some of the features, but that kinda defeats the point.

The CST has a scroll 'barrel', the ability to switch between 400, 800 and 1600 DPI, and three buttons by default. There are versions that support either two jacks to add a fourth or fifth button, or three jacks to allow you to duplicate the functionality of buttons 1-3, designed for people with various disabilities. In fact, the contact pads for these are included on the PCB irrespective of which version you buy, so if you're into modding, you can just buy the three button model and hack away. There is supposedly some software for the CST, but I'm sure it's just a basic button re-mapper... All the features are built into the hardware already.

In terms of the scroll wheel - both have excellent designs. The main distinction here is that the KEM has a ratchety scroll wheel, and the CST has a free rolling one, like in some of Logitech's higher end mice. For the internet, and reading documents, the free rolling one may be more desirable, but for playing games, the lack of clicking is a bit of a pain if you're switching between weapons or whatever. Some have complained that the KEM's scroll ring feels cheap and is noisy, but I think this is overexaggerated.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 03 April 2010, 09:48:20
When I first got it, the KEM caused me ungodly amounts of pain if I tried to use it. Eventually I found that after sitting in a more ergonomic position that it was very comfortable to use. Again, it's a huge case of YMMV. The person I bought the CST from claimed that he found a cheap mouse that was more comfortable to use than it.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 03 April 2010, 10:41:28
My elbow is better now : ) and they ain't weird either, lol.

I kind of wish I still had the CST around so I could give it another try. Am using the slimblade now and that is working out very well. I never had a problem with the expert gunking up. On occasion I would pop the ball and remove the fuzz around the ruby points. I do the same now on the slimblade but its no big deal. I think a clean environment and clean hands  have more to do with how quick the mouse gunks up.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Rajagra on Sun, 04 April 2010, 02:24:38
Well I've pretty much decided to buy a L-Trac when I can spare the money, but I find it odd that you have to undo screws to clean the insides. With my existing trackballs where the ball rests on 'jewels' rather than rollers, I get a build up around those bearings that looks like a ring of felt which dampens the movement. This can happen in under a week, and for the life of me I can't work out what is causing it. I don't think I'm shedding tiny hairs from my fingertips. It would be a shame to have to unscrew the case of the CST weekly just to clean it.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Sun, 04 April 2010, 04:30:09
But as I pointed out above, I've been using this thing for almost a month and I still haven't needed to clean it yet. Compare with the Logitech or KEM which required cleaning every few days. The latter two are easy to clean because they need to be cleaned regularly...
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: skcheng on Tue, 06 April 2010, 08:47:52
Where is everyone ordering these from??   MUST have one!!!!

skc
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Tue, 06 April 2010, 12:23:34
Fentek if you're in the US. There's some others, and a few European ones. Check the CST site for more details.

http://www.fentek-ind.com/laser-trackball.htm#mltracub
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: didjamatic on Tue, 06 April 2010, 12:42:35
Ripster, you should sell those 2 button add-on kits, either as a kit or assembled with Cherry switches.  I'd buy one.  Or tell fentek or someone else to do it.

Without it I can't use that trackball because I need me 5 buttons (or at least 4 + scroll).   Do you know if you can configure it to "freewheel"?  My G9X can be spun so it freewheels and scrolls down very long pages with one spin.  Or you can push a button on the bottom of the mouse to make the wheel click if you prefer that.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Tue, 06 April 2010, 13:26:37
The CST is a freewheel scroller. Im sure you could modify the thing to be clicky if you wanted... but there's no switching function.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: skcheng on Tue, 06 April 2010, 14:17:49
Quote from: ch_123;170061
Fentek if you're in the US. There's some others, and a few European ones. Check the CST site for more details.

http://www.fentek-ind.com/laser-trackball.htm#mltracub



Ouch.  $135!!   The most I've ever paid for a mouse was $40 for my Logitech G9.  But Rip recommends this one over the DT225 so I guess I need to listen ;-)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 06 April 2010, 14:26:24
Like just about all things, if you want the good stuff, you are going to have to pay.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 06 April 2010, 14:34:24
I used the DT225 for awhile, and I kinda liked it, but it hurt my wrist, so I didn't use it much longer.  I think I'll stick with mice for awhile.  I think I might try the KEM if I can find it at a store.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: didjamatic on Tue, 06 April 2010, 15:13:02
I LOVE the DT225 and looked a long time before finding one.  My intention was to install either a mighty mouse scroll ball or an IBM scrollpoint stick to give it scrolling capabilities and create the be-all-end-all-ultimate-trackball-of-all-time but my goals and free time diminished so I'm probably going to sell/trade it.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 06 April 2010, 15:28:10
You have a missing link?

(http://991.com/newGallery/Leo-Sayer-The-Missing-Link-287210.jpg)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 06 April 2010, 15:39:38
Hmm... interesting.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ricercar on Wed, 07 April 2010, 11:33:56
I didn't like the Evoluent lefty, and I was willing to kill small children for a left hand mouse when I tried it.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ricercar on Wed, 07 April 2010, 12:48:03
The Evoluent made me feel out of control. I have a $7 gun-shaped gamer "mouse" that gives me more lefty control than the $70 Evoluent. For that price I wanted something that didn't have an upsetting size and shape. I couldn't place the cursor within a word between the exact letters I wanted, no matter how much time I put into it (weeks). It was frustrating and therefore I have an irrational dislike of the device.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ricercar on Wed, 07 April 2010, 12:54:29
I may be gay, but I have large hands. My 3M penis mouse was a one-night-stand because it's  too small. I'd need the one with an EXTRA-LARGE shaft!

Small penis mouse for sale. Used but wiped down afterwards. Cheap.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: iMav on Sat, 17 April 2010, 01:33:50
I've been so happy with my slimblade that I totally forgot I wanted to order one of these.

So, just pulled the trigger on one from ergoguys (CST2545-5W, of course).  Also have a 5-ball on the way (black and orange should match geekhack's dark theme nicely).  :)

As a content KSB owner, I look forward to comparing the two.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 17 April 2010, 05:38:00
Ergoguys will ship to Europe, not sure how expensive it would be though. I was lucky enough to get mine from a Geekhack member in Northern Ireland who got one from eBay.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 17 April 2010, 07:33:06
In an email I sent them, they said that they did it.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: iMav on Sat, 17 April 2010, 10:29:29
Quote from: Julle;172929
L-trac is pretty expensive in Europe (95 £ + VAT + shipping is the cheapest I've found, total is around 140 €).  Most of the American retailers who stock this won't even consider shipping here.

Not totally outrageous.  (assuming it is as nice as others have said) Is that the CST2545-5W?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: iMav on Wed, 21 April 2010, 05:43:10
According to UPS, I should have mine on Friday.  (black with extra button jacks)

Should receive my 5-ball by then as well.  :)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Wed, 21 April 2010, 05:48:27
Quote from: Julle;173820
I have now ordered this, but from Ergoguys (sorry mskeyboard). I took the all black version, no switch jacks. Now the wait... I don't have a clue when we can have plane cargo here next. Hopefully the air will clear up, no new eruptions occur and the aviation authorities will re-open the airspace.

I'm expecting a 2-4-week wait.


Technically the all have five switch jacks, it's just that the base model doesn't have any jacks soldered for them. Think of it as an additional step of the modding job :P
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: iMav on Sun, 25 April 2010, 00:02:25
Received mine on Friday (along with my 5-ball).  I'm so comfortable with my slimblade that I'm going to have to spend significant time with the new trackball before I can comment...right now it is just irritating (due to my conditioning with the slimblade).I keep wanting to rotate the ball to scroll, and I am in the habit of using the ball with the tips on my fingers (which makes the scroll wheel and middle click out of reach).

I think I'll eventually really like it...just need to go hide the slimblade for a month.  :)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Rajagra on Mon, 26 April 2010, 18:53:43
Yay! Finally got one!



Well, not exactly. It's a MicroSpeed PC-Trac Deluxe +, PD-800S. Saw it selling at a price too low to ignore.

It's opto-mechanical and has three buttons. Without loading the software (which the manual says conflicts with Logitech MouseWare) the middle button acts as a drag-lock (locks left button down.) If you load the software, it also switches the trackball into scrolling mode. It has a 9-pin serial connector and adapter cable for PS/2 use. I have it working via an active PS/2 to USB convertor that I had lying around.

Sometimes it stops moving the cursor along one axis, this is probably my fault - I wiped the ball with ArmorAll before using it, obviously that has made it too slippery. I should have broken it in first. Being an old item and NIB, the bearings have been supporting the weight of the ball in one position for years, that might have caused a tiny flat spot.

It is louder than my Logitech Marble Mouse, but that's because it has moving parts! Audible would be a better description than louder.

Sadly the DPI is too low for my dual 1920*1200 screens. If I set the Windows mouse speed at the fastest setting that still allows smooth single-pixel movement, then rolling the ball as far as you can without moving your finger moves the mouse pointer about 400 pixels. Despite this it's nice to use at times when you don't have to move far.

You'll note that in the above picture I've angled it with the left hand side raised. This gives a more natural hand position, as used by my old Logitech Trackman Marble FX. I find it much more comfortable this way. This thing would really benefit from adjustable feet or some kind of platform to allow positioning like this. As mentioned before, lifting the front can make it more comfortable, so a simple prop as I've used above won't allow the full adjustment needed.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Rajagra on Mon, 26 April 2010, 19:40:09
I think it is 400dpi. I managed to increase the sensitivity some more while keeping it smooth - it must be bedding in. It now moves 1000 pixels in one swipe which I measure at 6cm which works out at 423dpi. It is actually quite usable like this. I never did manage to configure that old Marble FX to be usable with these screens. The PC-Trac can be flicked very fast without stalling. Much faster than the Marble FX.

These big left/right buttons are great! And so appropriate for a trackball where your hand is moving around.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ricercar on Mon, 26 April 2010, 20:02:18
Quote from: ripster;176309
The L-trac can double that to 1600dpi.

**** specs. My fatal1ty mouse  (http://asia.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=10&subcategory=223&product=15037)goes to 11^h^h 2400 dpi, with a color-changing LED for dpi.

How can you pass up giving a royalty to Wendell? Look at that glare:

(http://images.asia.creative.com//images/inline/products/lasermouse/fe_photo.jpg)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Rajagra on Mon, 26 April 2010, 20:29:51
Quote from: ricercar;176346
How can you pass up giving a royalty to Wendell? Look at that glare:

Show Image
(http://images.asia.creative.com//images/inline/products/lasermouse/fe_photo.jpg)


"Dude, look out, it's evil you!"
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Arc'xer on Wed, 28 April 2010, 13:32:12
Quote from: ricercar;176346
**** specs. My fatal1ty mouse  (http://asia.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=10&subcategory=223&product=15037)goes to 11^h^h 2400 dpi, with a color-changing LED for dpi.


It's specs aren't actually all that great. The mouse is pretty much based off the Wingman but it wasn't till the G9, G9X; that the specs for the similar shape were good enough(engine).

CF 1010 (http://www.esreality.com/index.php?a=longpost&id=1265679&page=18)

CF 2020 (http://www.esreality.com/index.php?a=longpost&id=1265679&page=19)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Rajagra on Wed, 28 April 2010, 14:44:00
The D-Con is only lethal to USB mice!

Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: itlnstln on Wed, 28 April 2010, 14:46:25
Quote from: Rajagra;176941
The D-Con is only lethal to USB mice!


Not unless it's a "serial killer."


*rimshot*
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Rajagra on Wed, 28 April 2010, 15:28:16
HAHAHAHAHA ... play that music and watch ripster's lego animation!!!! :rofl:

Ackbar has the beat down perfectly. Those Calamaris sure have rhythm.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: itlnstln on Wed, 28 April 2010, 15:31:15
That's epic.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Rajagra on Wed, 28 April 2010, 21:40:36
That's as good as I could make it without wasting too much time. (How much is too much?, you may ask.)
YT uploader is still as buggy as ever I see.

We can split the advertising revenue rip. Viewers will never notice the subtle product placement.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: duhokay on Thu, 29 April 2010, 01:22:19
Just put an order in for one, hope to clear some room on the desktop.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Thu, 29 April 2010, 09:26:43
Quote from: Julle;177189
Great, this problem is back again. Worked perfectly in the morning. I come back home this afternoon and the mouse won't work without unplugging and replugging. What's the problem here?


I also have this problem with my desktop. Not sure if it affects my laptop too... havent checked.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: duhokay on Mon, 03 May 2010, 19:16:34
Just received mine today, really impressed with it. First trackball I have ever owned. Really nice when navigating a lot of space.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: SigonLegacy on Tue, 04 May 2010, 16:40:56
Quote from: Julle;176845
Oh great, I have my first problem with it already. I'm running Windows 7 and it won't recognize the mouse after boot unless I unplug and replug. BIOS recognizes that there is a mouse connected. Windows Device manager show this device under mice and USB devices.

Does anyone have any idea what the problem might be?

EDIT: Never mind. It must have been some temporary glitch. What, glitches, in MY Windows?

I'm having the exact same problem. Just got home from work, got into Windows and... no mouse. I'm really happy with this trackball, but this'll be around the fourth time it's just suddenly not recognized. When I unplug it, Windows makes the disconnect sound, so it knows it was there.

Windows 7 x64, here.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Tue, 04 May 2010, 17:28:53
I might send an email to CST when I get the chance. If it's affecting three of us, it's likely to be affecting others.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: washuai on Tue, 04 May 2010, 21:28:58
CST L-Trac is how I first came across geekhack.  I might as well post here first, now that I've actually registered and temporarily halted lurking.

This is still an object I aspire to own, which maybe says more about the slow evolution of trackballs and my preference for them.  Although, I think the design is simple enough that it has a classic/timeless enough look to not date itself.

I like that the L-Trac is laser, 1600dpi, industrial, includes three buttons, scroll wheel and potential for two more buttons.  I like that it comes in black and the trackball can be customized.

I'm worried my hands are too small (6 1/2" mid wrist to middle finger tip).  Can anyone explain in more detail the challenge of small hands with the L-trac? Would I end up with less precision, more fatigue, constant hand repositioning in comparison to my logitech wireless optical trackman?

The Logitech wireless optical trackman is my favorite feel ergonomically, of the trackballs I've tried and I use it at work.  Between the need for custom wrist rests/slants & small hands comments, I'm concerned I'd find this uncomfortable.  

Also, I'm currently lacking the time/skills to deal with adding the two extra buttons, which are important to me.  Ripster's extra button mods definitely rock.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Rajagra on Tue, 04 May 2010, 22:40:37
I don't have a L-Trac (yet) but I recently bought a MicroSpeed PC Trac Deluxe+, which is the grandaddy of the L-Trac. One thing that impressed me on opening it up is the way the two large buttons hinge a long way forwards from the parts that are normally visible. This means you can hit those big buttons anywhere and they operate cleanly. So I think the design is suitable for hands of any size.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: duhokay on Tue, 04 May 2010, 22:57:33
No connection problems in win7 x64 as of yet...
Title: Connection problems
Post by: yamaha200 on Fri, 07 May 2010, 15:40:13
I owned a CST2545-5W for almost a year now and I have never had the connection problem that is mentioned in this thread. I believe it could partly be because of BIOS issues. If heard of Vista having problems with BIOS/Drivers for ALL types of pointing devices. I've also heard about Mac users having issues in newer OS updates not being able to connect some devices from a cold start. Sometimes its the manufacture and others times its not. Some Manufactures even help solve the problem by reworking Firmware.

   I believe a quick fix from this problem lays in the BIOS. Power setting or boot up device options maybe able to help. Also updating BIOS like Julle did may help.

   Has anyone talked to the manufacture? I bet they have an updated firmware that could help. Clearly Superior Tech is very good about customer service. Julle maybe you should email them about your case.  If anyone did email the manufacture, what did they say?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: duhokay on Thu, 13 May 2010, 13:01:08
Just got off the phone with MsKeyboard at Fentek and heard that there will be a new l-trac released at the end of the month (cst2545xw-rc). It will include 2 extra buttons and an additional 3200dpi adjustment. Interested to see what it will look like. Have an order in for one.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: iMav on Thu, 13 May 2010, 13:10:09
Quote from: duhokay;182007
Just got off the phone with MsKeyboard at Fentek and heard that there will be a new l-trac released at the end of the month (cst2545xw-rc). It will include 2 extra buttons and an additional 3200dpi adjustment. Interested to see what it will look like. Have an order in for one.

hmmm.  Maybe I'll hold off on the extra button mod then.  :)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: duhokay on Thu, 13 May 2010, 17:14:33
I just hope that the buttons are placed well, doubt I will end up using the 3200dpi.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: skcheng on Fri, 14 May 2010, 07:30:55
I've been using the CST purchased from Buy.com on the left side of my keyboard with my left hand and it's like buttah.   Smooth, accurate and a lot of fun.   I've never had an issue with Windows 7 64 Bit or XP Pro.  

I don't use the CST all of the time, and I have the Logitech G9 on the right side of my keyboard.  

If/when the new version comes out, I'll definitely pick one up.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Fri, 14 May 2010, 07:41:18
Mhmm, I saw a poll on their site asking whether or not people wanted a 3200DPI model. Will be interested to see how they handle the extra button on it.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Half-Saint on Fri, 14 May 2010, 08:24:44
I want one. Can it be bought in Europe? :-)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: yamaha200 on Fri, 14 May 2010, 11:24:28
Quote from: Half-Saint;182278
I want one. Can it be bought in Europe? :-)


Ya. on the website they have a reseller in Europe called Computerware.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Fri, 14 May 2010, 11:43:38
Quote from: Half-Saint;182278
I want one. Can it be bought in Europe? :-)


Check the CST site, they have a few places around Europe
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: MsKeyboard on Fri, 14 May 2010, 15:26:26
Hey all,
Here is the scoop on the new L-Trac-X.  It will be adjustable on the fly from 800 to 3200 cpi, but basically the same case, inputs and switching as now.  CST will also be releasing some new add-ons, such as a wrist rest that is to some extent adjustable and some external buttons that can be attached either through the use of velcro or double stick tape.
We have always been proud to carry CST products, since as you can see they are great at listening to their customers and offering products to accommodate their needs or concerns.
Let me know if you have any other questions.  Should have all the specs online soon............Later
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Fri, 14 May 2010, 16:04:56
Is this wrist rest external to the trackball?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: MsKeyboard on Fri, 14 May 2010, 16:50:21
From what we have been told, the wrist rest will attach to the front of the trackball in a manner that allows adjustment in angle and placement.
Also, Robert Rolling is still with CST, but we have been dealing with Ross Myers.  Great group of people.............Later
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: washuai on Fri, 14 May 2010, 18:19:05
YAY, I can't wait for the new CST L-Trac-X.  Given the two additional buttons, I should be able to demote the Death Adder.  The only bad is there's nothing actually wrong with my D.A. and the CST will probably cost 5 times as much.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Fri, 14 May 2010, 19:13:25
Quote from: MsKeyboard;182426
From what we have been told, the wrist rest will attach to the front of the trackball in a manner that allows adjustment in angle and placement.


I'm liking the sound of this. The wrist rest is one of the things I missed when I went from my KEM to the CST.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: duhokay on Fri, 14 May 2010, 20:32:00
That is great to hear, my l-trac is not uncomfortable though a rest would be much nicer.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 15 May 2010, 12:42:12
Upgrading linux distros is actually quite simple. Ideally, you have /home on its own partition.
It takes me about 20 minutes to do an install, maybe a reboot or two and I am done.

The last windows I installed was XP and it was incredibly tedious. Maybe its better with windows 7?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: kishy on Sat, 15 May 2010, 13:07:17
Quote from: bigpook;182647
The last windows I installed was XP and it was incredibly tedious. Maybe its better with windows 7?

This is entirely subjective.

As an example, this "tedious" procedure, as you've called it, is something I prefer immensely over the methods used elsewhere. I think I'm in the minority when I say I like the Windows install process, but different strokes for different folks I suppose.

Related concept would be software installation and upgrading on each platform. I can't stand package managers or the concept of them; I prefer to keep a library of installers somewhere (external HDD in my case) and reference that collection after a new Windows install. This way, if I've found a version I like better than the newest, it's substantially simpler to obtain the older version (and that tends to be the case; Fireworks 8, Winamp 5.35, couple-versions-old Nero...)

And re: ripster, for that sort of thing with me, I also keep a backed up copy of my application data folders (there are indeed a couple scattered about) and for the programs which store their preferences in their installation folder, a copy of that folder itself.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Rajagra on Sat, 15 May 2010, 13:30:58
Quote from: kishy;182652
I think I'm in the minority when I say I like the Windows install process


I like the old DOS way of installing things:

*** Copy files to hard disk. ***

Job done. Simple. Effective. Easy to fix if something goes wrong. Easy to transfer to another machine / partition.

Then Microsoft had to make everything dependent on a central registry. In the name of reliability and tidyness??? Somehow "ROFL" doesn't quite cut it.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: bigpook on Sat, 15 May 2010, 13:31:04
I still think a windows install is tedious but haven't done Vista or Win7 yet. Maybe its improved.
 All I remember is the multiple reboots, failure to detect the hardware on the motherboard (and this from a "plug and play" OS no less ), then the endless round of application installs and then finding drivers....and more reboots.
Different strokes for different folks I guess. I'll take apt-get over whatever passes for package management on a windows machine.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 15 May 2010, 16:10:24
Quote from: bigpook;182657
I still think a windows install is tedious but haven't done Vista or Win7 yet. Maybe its improved.
 All I remember is the multiple reboots, failure to detect the hardware on the motherboard (and this from a "plug and play" OS no less ), then the endless round of application installs and then finding drivers....and more reboots.
Different strokes for different folks I guess. I'll take apt-get over whatever passes for package management on a windows machine.


Windows 7 has one of the most painless install procedures... With the exception of my ASUS sound card, all hardware on my desktop and laptop work right out of the box. Ubuntu is probably the best for idiot proof install, but hardware support is nowhere near as good.

That, and the OS itself is pretty crap.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Mon, 17 May 2010, 14:09:46
Do they require you to send the old unit back to them?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Mon, 17 May 2010, 15:47:03
Interesting, I might send an email across.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: iMav on Sat, 29 May 2010, 17:41:43
I've noticed on my trackball that I have a "dead spot" on the scroll wheel.  If I rotate to that section, scrolling is not detected...I have to roll past that small section for scrolling to continue.  

Has anyone else encountered this??

EDIT:  Took it apart again and put it back together and the problem has disappeared.. perhaps it was simply not seated properly...regardless, the problem is gone.  :)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Rajagra on Sat, 29 May 2010, 17:51:57
Sounds like a blockage on the toothed wheel. Should be an easy fix. Unless a tooth has broken off.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: iMav on Mon, 31 May 2010, 10:21:42
I've been using mine regularly and have to say that I miss the slimblade.  The main problem for me is I like to use my finger tips to manipulate the ball.  This means that whenever I need to hit the middle button or us the scroll wheel, I have to significantly shift my hand forward.

How does everyone else use the trackball?  I can't imagine being very accurate with the palm of my hand (plus, that would mean a lot of arm movement).
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: iMav on Mon, 31 May 2010, 12:10:13
Just like the slimblade, I will use it for a month straight and see how I adjust.  I hated the slimblade when I first tried it...so I'm sure I will adjust.  :)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Mon, 31 May 2010, 12:45:20
Quote from: iMav;188468
I've been using mine regularly and have to say that I miss the slimblade.  The main problem for me is I like to use my finger tips to manipulate the ball.  This means that whenever I need to hit the middle button or us the scroll wheel, I have to significantly shift my hand forward.

How does everyone else use the trackball?  I can't imagine being very accurate with the palm of my hand (plus, that would mean a lot of arm movement).


I have the same problem. In fact, when I use it, I find myself reliving my glory Windows 95 days and drag-clicking the slider on the side of the window...

Tried using my KEM again for a while, but it feels like pushing a rusty wheelbarrow after using the CST with its metal rollers. It's a shame because the scroll wheel is a really great idea.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: iMav on Mon, 31 May 2010, 14:42:17
I'm already getting more accustomed to it.  :)

(it's the only trackball I have that will fit next to my Model F on my keyboard tray...so there is motivation)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: iMav on Mon, 31 May 2010, 14:54:47
Quote from: ripster;188511
That spacebar and layout - ow!  Nice switches though.
I've always been hard on my space bars, so the one on the Model F is perfect.  And now that I have closely replicated the HHKB layout, I'm quite happy with it for now.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: JBert on Wed, 02 June 2010, 15:32:00
You see, there's a model F for everyone!
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Wed, 16 June 2010, 05:53:07
Yeah, got the same email here.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Rajagra on Wed, 16 June 2010, 12:57:03
Haha, love it. Actually it's nice to know there are companies out there who credit their customers with enough intelligence to do minor upgrades/repairs.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Wed, 16 June 2010, 14:07:49
They did offer to pay for it to be shipped to them and back to have the work done, but I opted to do it myself.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Wed, 16 June 2010, 16:13:10
Actually, you're right - I would have had to ship it to the US. At that price, I would have been better flogging it off and buying a new TrackX model when it comes out.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: aegrotatio on Sat, 19 June 2010, 12:18:43
How does the laser track pool balls?  I'm curious because I have a couple of Kensington Orbits with unevenly textured balls and their optical sensor doesn't track the blank spots at all.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 19 June 2010, 12:26:49
Uses laser tracking, but the ball is mounted on metal rollers.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: noctua on Wed, 23 June 2010, 10:14:28
The model CST2145W is the white one with a black ball and the CST2545W is complete black,
anybody knows if there are more differences like different PCB or something else?
I ask because i intend to invest in such one..
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: noctua on Wed, 23 June 2010, 10:39:12
Robert says the 3200cpI model will only be available in black with two jacks and a scrolling wheel.
No customizing of colors or features will be available for the L-TracX.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: noctua on Wed, 23 June 2010, 11:38:52
Ok confirmed by Rob, there is no difference between the CST2145W and CST2545W
except the colors.. (ball, cable and case)

This sounds to me as then all Laser/USB "units" are based on an common PCB
and perhaps with the same firmware..
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Mon, 28 June 2010, 06:46:08
Just got the replacement PCB... it's the part on which the laser is mounted. Haven't tested it with my main PC yet, but it appears to be operating.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: noctua on Thu, 02 September 2010, 15:23:26
ripster: can you confirm the "scroll-lock" feature on your CST, if you hold
the middle button pressed (this should activate the scroll-lock) and you can
now scroll the contend with the ball? Apart from the fact the CST has an
dedicated scroll cylinder..
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: noctua on Thu, 02 September 2010, 15:33:33
Thanks for testing, have you the impression of "comfort" then you scrolling in this way?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: FourOhFour on Tue, 07 September 2010, 21:03:03
Quote from: ripster;219777
Well, I never liked it in that mode even with a mouse so I never use it.  I have middle button mapped to CTRL-W (close Firefox tab).  Use the scroll wheel for scrolling.


I use the middle button to open links in a new tab far too often to do that. Middle clicking on the tab already closes it, which is quick enough for me. (Sometimes a little too quick... ctrl-shift-t to the rescue!)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: noctua on Tue, 15 February 2011, 07:46:44
I received my CST2545W-RC today, it looks very nice - like an tank -
huh.. what an move to reach the scroll cylinder.. :ballchain:

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=15484&stc=1&d=1297777509)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: cloud_171 on Sat, 19 February 2011, 00:59:42
I just got the LTracX today and love the CPI upgrade from my Microsoft Trackball Explorer. It also rolls a lot smoother but the lack of back/forward button is making it tough to adjust.

My biggest complaint is that using it after an hour, wrist discomforts start to develop. Probably give it another shot but this comfort issue is quite the deal breaker, wish CST would release this wrist rest of theirs.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: noctua on Sat, 19 February 2011, 03:18:32
on ripster's image above (post  #272) you can see where you can insert the two
missing switches, he also describe this "modding" in his own thread (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:8810)..

i plan this too, the for- and back-switch are quite practically..
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Thu, 24 February 2011, 15:28:45
I'm hating mices, the only one I'm able to use without angry it's my old Logitech M-S35.

Where to buy the CST L-TrakX from Europe?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: noctua on Fri, 25 February 2011, 01:49:14
I've got my from ComputerWare, because they answer quicker on emails and
it was the cheapest option compared to Fentek, i don't know then they
receive their next charge of L-TrakX, because i ordered an L-Trak..
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Fri, 25 February 2011, 03:31:06
Do you mean Computerware UK? The Computerware history is very... intriguing...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computerware

It seems to be Computerware UK, here is the bad guy I want

http://www.computerware.co.uk/lasertrac5X.html

Am I correct? :)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: noctua on Fri, 25 February 2011, 05:00:37
correct, i mean computerware.co.uk - thanks for the update that they have
now the L-TrakX.. - they deliver quickly - within five days via british air-mail..
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: kidchunks on Fri, 04 March 2011, 15:57:12
Just pulled the trigger on a CST2545W. Looking forward to the experience and adding extra switches.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: kidchunks on Fri, 04 March 2011, 16:12:37
Quote from: ripster;305124
Congrats.  I think I have personally been responsible for doubling CST's sales to non-handicapped people.

You as well as many others who have shared the same "this sh*T rocks" experience with the CST.

I started out using the logitech trackball marble which wasn't bad just the lack of a scroller was a pita. I know there was software and different techniques to scrolling with the trackball marble but I wanted a physical scroller.  PLUS! I like big balls(no homo :tongue:)

Time to search for a ball!
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: SexieWASD on Sun, 24 April 2011, 07:40:02
I'll just leave this here.

http://www.cypress.com/?docID=26943 (http://www.cypress.com/?docID=26943)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: SexieWASD on Sun, 24 April 2011, 14:37:38
I don't.  The cst is the only trackball that I own.  I used to have an old serial ch trackball.  I think they are still my favorites.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Thu, 28 April 2011, 14:43:26
Hi, I just got myself a CST L-Trac CST2545 3200DPI version. I like it, but I'm finding the ball has a bit more resistance than I would like - it isn't buttery smooth like a (clean) Logitech Marble Mouse.

Is there a way to improve this? Can oil be added to the Delrin bearings to improve the rolling action?

Thanks.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Thu, 28 April 2011, 15:08:52
How long did it take yours? I've had mine for over 48 hours now - played some Battlefield: Bad Company 2 with it, so maybe got about 8 hours on it. :)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Thu, 28 April 2011, 15:24:39
What's a synthetic ruby? (Do I even want to know?)

My first great trackball was the Assassin 3D way back in the mid90s for Quake...it could be calibrated so that when you move the ball 90 degrees, so did you Quake character! Ahhhhh fun times, dancing on steel girders while nailing those poor people with accurately aimed rockets...
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Thu, 28 April 2011, 15:32:55
Hmm I didn't really find that in the wiki - but I did some googling and it looks like some of the older Logitech trackballs use that:

"The ball is supported by three small (~1.2mm diameter) stationary spheres of a very hard material.  Previous models appeared to use synthetic ruby, but current production uses and opaque silvery glass-like material which seems to be just as durable.  Quite why a hard plastic ball should glide smoothly over three small fixed spheres is a mystery to me, but a touch of naturally occurring skin oil is essential."

(From http://www.firstpr.com.au/ergonomics/ )

So now I know what you mean. Unfortunately, while I love the feel of them when they are clean (but still slightly oiled from my finger grease), I have a bad finger crud problem. It only takes a few hours of use before the crud accumulates on the spheres and I have to scrape away the gunk. Ughhhhh.

Maybe I'll need to buy some thin gloves to avoid the problem of gunk buildup on my trackballs.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: redpill on Fri, 06 May 2011, 12:34:00
Is the internal mechanism for the scroll wheel all attached to the same board as the main rollers?  I'm tempted to try to relocate the scroll to the left side of the unit for thumb use but don't know if the internals would support such a Frankenstein endeavor.

Apart from my concern on the scroll wheel location this is the first trackball that has me seriously considering moving on from my MTE.

Oo, or alternatively can the auxiliary plugs be used to enable a secondary scroll wheel mechanism of some kind?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: redpill on Fri, 06 May 2011, 13:00:10
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

MTE ball circumference: 14.5cm

It took 2 revolutions plus an additional 9.75 cm to get from left to right.  So the total would be 38.75cm to travel the 1920 pixels of horizontal screen space.  Is that enough info?

Edit: In the spirit of contribution I'll add a picture with the ball removed in the Wiki under the MTE section.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Fri, 06 May 2011, 14:40:25
I wish I could find software to use my L-TracX at a 180 degree angle - having the scroll wheel under the ball is far superior IMHO (and also easier to put a wrist rest there too). Alas, mafmouse does not work in Windows 7 x64.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: noctua on Fri, 06 May 2011, 14:53:41
Quote from: RPro;342621
... - having the scroll wheel under the ball is far superior IMHO...


Yes, you are right, it is quite superior.. i have my CST already modified (extrem)
since 6 weeks.. now i'm brood about the buttons..
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: redpill on Fri, 06 May 2011, 15:14:50
These folks (http://CoolPoolBalls.com) also sell individual pool balls if you e-mail them.  Personalized, marbelized glow in the dark trackball for the win.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Fri, 06 May 2011, 15:50:27
noctua, cool - do you have pictures/links to your mod? Somehow I can't seem to find it...
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: redpill on Fri, 06 May 2011, 23:29:59
I'm sure there's some margin of error.  I measured several times in terms of ball diameter and never could quite get the manual circumference to jive exactly with the pi*D calc, but in the end I felt my direct circumference measurement was probably more accurate than the diameter measurement so that's what I went with.  But more substantially because of the orientation of this trackball it's rather tricky to attempt to roll it straight sideways when looking at the ball instead of the screen due to the offset nature, so I imagine that is also a contributor.  And I went very slow to eliminate the potential for auto acceleration.  I tried to be a bit OCD about it honestly to give you a good figure as I respect the project, and I'm in the data business so I appreciate the value of real data :)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: redpill on Sat, 07 May 2011, 00:36:33
So not to dare digress to the actual subject of the thread, but dies the CST L-Trac actually have the laser shining on the ball to determine movement or does it rely on the movement of the rollers supporting it?  

And to promptly derail things again I'll just say there are many things about Microsoft that I dislike, so I'm somewhat grumpy about the fact that I'm hooked on two of their flawed peripherals, the Natural Ergo 4k (unfulfilling membrane domes and horrible ghosting but wonderful split/curved ergo, aesthetic look, and with full arrow/insert cluster/num pad that I want) and the Trackball Explorer (which I adore but obviously are not made anymore and my three of them will eventually break down).  In terms of the latter, I still do not understand why they stopped making such a fantastic input device; they could have improved on it (like giving lefties a chance) and made the bearings better, but I routinely shock people at the office with my cursor abilities with this thing while they fumble around with their goofy mice and pads.  It definitely could use more precision, especially in any sort of paint/photo application, but the ergo aspect of the excellent (and clickable) scroll wheel location, 4 buttons... I'm going to have a really hard time giving it up.  But I could just be getting old :)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ch_123 on Sat, 07 May 2011, 02:47:39
Having opened one before, the laser points directly at the ball. There's no sensing mechanism on the stabilizers.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: noctua on Sat, 07 May 2011, 02:50:21
Quote from: RPro;342658
noctua, cool - do you have pictures/links to your mod? Somehow I can't seem to find it...


patience, patience i work already since februar on this greater project, the biggest
problem is to get fast enough ideas.. i have no "final" pictures yet but i'm in the
last phase.. and you can believe - to find the right positions of the button's
annoying me..

But i can attest the fact: scroll cylinder under the ball is really comfortable,
the nacked "skeleton" stands beside me and works fine.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: kill will on Sat, 07 May 2011, 10:34:33
i just received mine yesterday and have been using it non stop.  thanks for the advice ripster!
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: kill will on Sat, 07 May 2011, 11:15:47
mine doesnt have the 1/8" jacks and i bought the most expensive one.  what the fudge.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: redpill on Sun, 08 May 2011, 19:01:09
Sent them an e-mail asking about whether they had considered having a secondary scroll wheel attachment for the auxiliary plugs.  No response.  Which probably means no.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: British on Wed, 11 May 2011, 08:39:46
Bit the bullet as well...

Now though, DPI notwithstanding, the thing is nowhere near being able to provide smooth and precise movement.
When doing large swipes, it's obviously not an issue, but I can't get advertised "pixel precision" (well, dunno if it's really advertised, but I read that somewhere), as small movements are choppy (the bearings are clean).
I guess it's the famous case that involves the need of waiting for said bearings to "break in", though I can't insist enough on how not-precise it is...

Also, the scrollwheel is fine when I scroll "up", but it's a pain when it goes "down": now and then it feels like there's some stuff preventing the wheel to roll, to the point where it doesn't register the scroll.
And once the blocking stuff is passed, it rolls and scrolls again (until a few rounds later, of course).

I'll most likely contact CST about that, after checking more thoroughly at the innards.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: kill will on Wed, 11 May 2011, 10:08:09
judging by your non operating wheel, you may have a defective unit.  i have been using mine non stop and while not as precise as a new mouse, it fits my needs fine.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: British on Wed, 11 May 2011, 11:00:47
OK, got the scrollwheel problem sorted out.
Some cable of the main cord was leaning on the left rubber...

Feels way better now \o/
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: tsoukkinen on Wed, 01 June 2011, 10:27:21
Hello! First post.

I just got CST Laser Track 3200 cpi model. If I put finger tips to south or southwest on the ball and then go to north or northeast, the ball jumps up rather than rotates smoothly. Can you confirm, if this is normal?

I want to like this, but the action is not very smooth in all directions. For example, it seems difficult to draw straight diagonals. Maybe it gets better, when the ball breaks in...?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Wed, 01 June 2011, 11:13:03
I find the diagonals are more stair-stepping like when I try to go diagonal upper-left using my right hand. However, it goes away if I adjust my hand position a little. It doesn't help that the bearings move sideways a little as you move the ball. Maybe I should find tiny washers to fill the gaps hehehe.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: kidchunks on Wed, 01 June 2011, 12:13:14
Quote from: RPro;354171
I find the diagonals are more stair-stepping like when I try to go diagonal upper-left using my right hand. However, it goes away if I adjust my hand position a little. It doesn't help that the bearings move sideways a little as you move the ball. Maybe I should find tiny washers to fill the gaps hehehe.

Funny, never noticed it until I saw this post. Mine does the same but I don't need precision diagonal movement so its no biggie. I usually fine it doing the stair-stepping when I use only my thumb. If I add the middle and pointer fingers, the stepping is greatly reduced.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: tsoukkinen on Tue, 07 June 2011, 04:08:38
I am getting used to the CST Laser Track 3200 cpi.

Downsides:
- There is slight built-in acceleration.
- Straight diagonal lines are more difficult than with a mouse.
- My thumb feels weak for double clicking and dragging. Might be better, if the left button was angled...
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Wed, 08 June 2011, 20:34:25
Yeah I sometimes notice the acceleration - that's too bad! But it does seem subtle at lower DPI.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: SexieWASD on Sun, 12 June 2011, 11:53:47
So I've been using my LtracX for a while now.  Just got done playing a round of bad company 2 with it, 23/3 kill-death ratio, so I'll say it's working well enough. It's really great as a gunner on a tank, you can really rack up the kills when you never run out of mouse pad and can just flick the ball around.  It was also a lot of fun to play portal 2 with it.  As long as they keep making them I don't think that i'll be switching back to a mouse.  Now all I need is for someone to make a wireless hhkb pro 2.

Not quite related but I've bought a new keyboard too,

this one:
(http://www.sexiegaming.com/images/p95b.jpg)

If you guys think that you care about key press, go to a piano forum!
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: charlie872 on Tue, 21 June 2011, 07:13:55
Quote from: noctua;297637
on ripster's image above (post  #272) you can see where you can insert the two
missing switches, he also describe this "modding" in his own thread (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:8810)..

i plan this too, the for- and back-switch are quite practically..


http://www.computerware.co.uk
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Alex on Fri, 24 June 2011, 11:31:46
Oh I want one so badly, but the price is so hard to justify.  I'd be browsing the internets in style with one of those though..

Is http://www.computerware.co.uk the only European reseller of the L-TracX 3200 cpi?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: keyboardlover on Fri, 24 June 2011, 11:56:10
They see me Robert Rolling.

They hatin'.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Honky on Sun, 26 June 2011, 14:16:59
Quote from: Alex;366989
Oh I want one so badly, but the price is so hard to justify.  I'd be browsing the internets in style with one of those though..

Is http://www.computerware.co.uk the only European reseller of the L-TracX 3200 cpi?

 
I mailed el-fi.dk to see if they could bring me one, probably going to receive an answer & price within a few days time, I'll let you know what they say. (They do at least ship to Sweden (for 100 SEK), unsure about the rest of Europe.)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Alex on Sun, 26 June 2011, 18:36:52
Quote from: Honky;368541
I mailed el-fi.dk to see if they could bring me one, probably going to receive an answer & price within a few days time, I'll let you know what they say. (They do at least ship to Sweden (for 100 SEK), unsure about the rest of Europe.)
Oh thanks, that seems like a possible option.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Uberperson on Fri, 01 July 2011, 20:17:59
Has anyone noticed the slight stepping fade over time, or with a different ball?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: dj christian on Mon, 11 July 2011, 12:00:36
Quote from: Honky;368541
I mailed el-fi.dk to see if they could bring me one, probably going to receive an answer & price within a few days time, I'll let you know what they say. (They do at least ship to Sweden (for 100 SEK), unsure about the rest of Europe.)

I i checked their retailers site and el-fi.dk was one of them who sold them. Have you heard from them about the price? And i am curious since i also live in Sweden.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Sat, 16 July 2011, 15:03:55
Quote from: Uberperson;371629
Has anyone noticed the slight stepping fade over time, or with a different ball?

 
Yeah - although I've been hacking at the bearings a bit. Finally settled on squeezing the plastic holders a bit to keep the bearings from sliding back and forth so much as the ball rolls. Then I applied a very very very small (more than a dustspeck) worth of Teflon grease on bearings.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: steeef on Tue, 19 July 2011, 16:42:48
Just got my L-TracX in today. Playing around with the DPI settings. I notice with small movements it jumps a little before the cursor moves. Possibly needs cleaning...
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: steeef on Wed, 20 July 2011, 10:45:38
Cleaning it out and playing with the bearings did the trick.

I'm not too happy having to reach for the scroll bar at the top, so I found Drag To Scroll so I can right-click and move the trackball to scroll instead:
http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/topic59726.html
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: thrasymedes on Wed, 20 July 2011, 11:04:15
Can anyone who has the 3200 dpi model comment on whether it would be useful for a system running dual 1920 x 1080 monitors?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Honky on Sat, 13 August 2011, 16:26:04
Quote from: Alex;368634
Oh thanks, that seems like a possible option.


Still haven't heard from them, you might have better luck with it.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Kerosene on Sun, 13 November 2011, 15:56:27
Well, I got my L-TracX from el-fi. Seems real solid otherwise but the scroll wheel performance is uneven. Moments ago I managed to turn it for a long distance without it triggering a scroll event. Also, it's hard to reach for the scroll wheel and the 3rd button. I think the most natural scrolling HW solution for this type of trackball would be a thumb switch that made the ball itself act as a scroll wheel while the switch is down.

I'll only be using the mouse at 3200cpi but it's a bit silly how you have to peek through the buttons at a very specific angle to see the sensitivity LED; CST should clearly have made the ball or some button/surface part translucent.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Razer1987 on Tue, 29 November 2011, 03:57:44
Just received my CST, kind of disapointed by the weight, it's made of a really light plastic. Like Kerosene, i feel the same uneven performance from the scoll wheel. But i have no prob to reach the third button. The LED has the most stupid location ever, you can't see it, it's not a real problem because you can feel the difference but it is still stupid…
It's my first trackball, so i can't compare it, but i really enjoy it, the shape is nice, pretty ergonomic and the main buttons are perfect. I use it at 1600 cpi for the moment because i have only my little asus eeepc with me but i am looking forward to try it on my hi-res monitor next month…
i try to figure out how i am gonna use the two extra buttons.

I love my new ball, really sexy…

(http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/4065/p1020420x.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/412/p1020420x.jpg/)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: NimbleRabit on Tue, 29 November 2011, 09:29:48
I haven't experienced any problems with the scroll-wheel so far, and in fact it's probably my favorite part of this thing.  I'm sorry to here some of you are having problems, perhaps you can contact CST and see what they have to say?

Also, holy crap I can't believe some of you are using 3200 dpi.  Anything above 1600 is way too fast for me, but I like 800 the most.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Tue, 29 November 2011, 20:45:21
I've had my CST for quite some time now and while I'm loving it, I still have issues with the ball rolling rather stiffly, with a feeling of "drag" for lack of a better word. However, I think I stumbled onto a workaround - tilt the CST on its side at a >60 degree angle! However, don't tilt it too much though or the ball will hit the ring and not contact the bearings. The left side of the CST should be a few inches off the desk while the right side remains on the desk. I used a sawed-off piece of 2x4 wood to hold the left side up, with a couple of those rubber placemats to keep them from sliding around.

Suddenly, the feeling of extra drag/friction almost completely disappears and it rolls very smoothly even with one finger. I find this arrangement much more accurate. It seems easing the pressure off the northwest bearing loosens up the ball and now it feels like it is rolling on a cloud of boobs!

There is one caveat though - it doesn't seem to work if you try putting it on the other side - it won't work left-handed! Unless you place the trackball backwards and use something like the SakasaMouse app to reverse the mouse pointer axes...

I would like to know if this hack works for you - if there is no difference then I guess my CST has issues!
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Tue, 29 November 2011, 20:49:39
Oh I forgot to add - you will probably want to use a wrist pad under your hand to lift it up an extra half-inch or so to make it easier to reach the ball without causing too much strain...
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Wed, 30 November 2011, 12:31:19
Here is a picture of my awesome hack. Notice the monolithic piece of lego to add shock and awe:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]33548[/ATTACH]

My accuracy in Left4Dead 2 has tripled because of this mod. And now 1600 CPI is very usable for me!
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Wed, 30 November 2011, 13:01:35
The bearings seem fine to me, even after comparing to the pictures above.Although the gap between the brown plastic thingies are just a tiny bit wider (.1 mm?). Maybe the slightly wider gap makes the bearings bounce around more, increasing the drag and roughness. Each bearing seems to spin smoothly and rapidly when I flick them with my finger. Maybe I just don't like the normal feel of the CST as much as others?

Have you tried tilting it to see if there is a difference in the roll?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Wed, 30 November 2011, 13:05:30
Oh - as a point of reference - in the tilted position I can flick my fingers and the ball spins for 3 seconds. Any faster and the ball will jumped off the bearings. I can't make it spin more than a second in the normal position without bouncing.

EDIT: Yeah McRip!
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Wed, 30 November 2011, 13:33:23
Hmmm maybe you're onto something - time to do some experiments (and some cleaning).
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Wed, 30 November 2011, 14:12:13
Ok, cleaning and adding thing paper washers over the screw mounts inside the case seems to have helped - I guess the top molding was just a tad too close on one side of the ball. (I bet it was 90% cleaning that did it though - even though the bearings spun easily by finger before cleaning, the ball weight would magnify the McDirt effect).

With that said, the tilting trick still works great! In fact, when it's tilted, it has the smoothest action I've ever felt in a ball, ever. And it is probably a little more ergonomic too! Suddenly, the CST is the best trackball on the planet...
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: dj christian on Sun, 04 December 2011, 08:43:28
Is this the trackball there is? Are there any alternatives. I've read about the Kengsington SlimBlade but i read in the customer reviews on Amazon that it has one of the worst software around, especially for Win x64.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Mon, 05 December 2011, 15:15:59
Hey, anyone know if lithium grease would work well for the CST trackball bearings? Or is this redundant?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Mon, 05 December 2011, 16:07:35
Ok! I may give Jig-A-Loo Super Grease a try:

http://www.jigaloo.com/ca/e_products_supergrease.php

According to the MSDS it has NAPTHA and PERCHLOROETHYLENE - which I think is safe on plastics.

The regular Jig-A-Loo (in the orange can) looks like it is very bad for plastics though - Methyl somethingsomethingchloride. I saw horrifying mutilation of a rubik's cube that had regular Jig-A-Loo on it.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: gilgam on Thu, 08 December 2011, 07:49:52
Hi :-)

I want to buy one of these CST L track but is there a dealer in France, or at least in €uro countries?
there is a reseller in the UK but VAT will kill the deal...

Have you ever tried it on linux with the added buttons ?
Is ths easy to customize ?

Thanks
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: TheProfosist on Fri, 09 December 2011, 07:53:36
The added button are just default mouse buttons unless you use the windows driver to customize what they are end evn then I believe there is only a limited choice.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: gilgam on Fri, 09 December 2011, 13:59:29
Quote from: ripster;467052

Good luck with Linux.

Yes Linux has always been lucky ;-)
I think i could customize it via some dirty trick.
By the way CST has a very nice commercial service. It's the american way i love : customer support. The exact opposite of french one :-)

Soon a review...
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Kerosene on Tue, 13 December 2011, 05:34:52
Quote from: gilgam;466408
Hi :-)

I want to buy one of these CST L track but is there a dealer in France, or at least in €uro countries?
there is a reseller in the UK but VAT will kill the deal...
Sounds like you already bought one from somewhere, but for the benefit of others I want to point out that el-fi.dk in Denmark had the best deal for the L-TracX when I was buying. Service via e-mail in english was okay.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: oneproduct on Fri, 16 December 2011, 16:38:51
Quote from: dj christian;463846
Is this the trackball there is? Are there any alternatives. I've read about the Kengsington SlimBlade but i read in the customer reviews on Amazon that it has one of the worst software around, especially for Win x64.

I just got a L-Trac and it has some pros and cons compared to the slimblade:
1. Scrolling by twisting the slimblade's trackball is incredibly fun and you don't have to reach past the ball like you do on the Ltrac
2. The Ltrac's scroll wheel isn't notched (do they call this a flywheel?) which is really good and quite fun unless you need to scroll an exact number of times (like weapon changing in a game maybe)
3. Ltrac has higher DPI, but the slimblade has more exposed trackball so it kind of makes up for it because you have more surface you can scan over in one swipe before you have to reposition your hand
4. Slimblade's trackball seems to move more smoothly because the contact area is smaller, but perhaps some lube on the Ltrac will fix that
5. Slimblade's bearings collect dust super fast, but it's real easy to clean because you just have to lift up the trackball, no unscrewing required
6. Slimblade has 4 buttons by default, Ltrac only has 3 but you can add more
7. Ltrac's third button is somewhat awkwardly positioned behind the ball
8. Ltrac's casing is like a built in hand rest
9. Ltrac's trackball is further recessed into the casing so you don't have to twist your wrist up as high
10. Ltrac uses a bigger trackball, which allows for greater precision
11. Slimblade's software is fine, but the newest version doesn't even work for a lot of people. I had to use an old version. You can rebind buttons 2-4 (but not 1) to other types of button presses or to keyboard shortcuts or things like media buttons. I haven't toyed much with the Ltrac's software's but it does look better.
12. Physical size comparison: Ltrac is super tall, slimblade is pretty wide
13. Ltrac's buttons 1 and 2 are better placed and feel more sturdy

The Ltrac is great, but I'm really bothered by how hard it is to reach button 3 and the scroll wheel, you have to reposition your hand each time to get to them. Everything else about it is better than the Slimblade, except maybe the different way the two perform scrolling, but that's a personal preference: flywheel vs trackball twist.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: TheProfosist on Fri, 16 December 2011, 16:52:23
I feel the same way about the Ltrack its the best out there but there are tons of improvements that could be done. What I really want is a 5 button laser DT225 with a scroll wheel.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: oneproduct on Sat, 17 December 2011, 00:44:08
Did a little comparison of the L-trac vs the Kensington Slimblade, which is my current favorite (I don't need the DPI too bad, otherwise it may be a different story). I haven't had a chance to try the DT225 yet.

http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:25064
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Kerosene on Mon, 19 December 2011, 03:34:02
Ironically, I'm in Finland, but didn't even bother to get an exact L-TracX quote from our local vendor (assistive devices store) after seeing the prices on the listed models. Even with negotiation it would have been over 200e for sure. El-Fi, being a computer HW store, sold me the trackball for 135e including international shipping. :smile:
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: gilgam on Mon, 19 December 2011, 13:32:50
there must be some problem because on their site
http://www.el-fi.dk/index.asp?page=86&vpath=86|&prtype=2&prgroup=13
 this is 1937 DKR which is roughly 260 €
i paid 192€ include shipping from computerware...
it still has to come ...

CST 2545
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: TheProfosist on Wed, 21 December 2011, 00:30:14
I have the L-Track X and have modded all 5 buttons to be external its a great trackball that I sadly vdont use as much since I got my G700.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: OVerLoRDI on Wed, 21 December 2011, 15:16:47
Well I got my L-Trac today.  After doing some configuration started using it.

Obviously there is an adjustment period, but I figured the best way to get used to it was some good old UT2004 instagib.  Thoughts:
1)  I have no muscle memory at all related to using a trackball, so the result is I feel like I'm very aware of my fingers and their placements.
2)  Not sure where my fingers go, so I'm still searching for the right position as I'm using it.
3)  Despite the lack of muscle memory, it feels quite natural.  I'm not really having to think about how to use the device, mostly just my fingers.
4)  Precision is very possible with this device, however there seems to be a strange transition in the rollers, going from high speed to slow speed and back.  It takes additional effort to get them rolling again.  There is also a small rocking noise every time I change directions.  hopefully this will change as they break in.
5)  My natural tendency to autocorrect my shot (in game) the second before I shoot is more natural and effective with this.  
6)  The scroll wheel is USELESS.  I'm surprised they didn't just make a thumb scroll wheel on the side of the mouse.  Looking for keyboard + "mouse motion" scroll options currently.

I will report back in a few more days with how I'm feeling about it.

Also every time I reach from my keyboard to my mouse, my hand is just confused.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Wed, 21 December 2011, 21:00:51
I hope this shows up properly.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]35646[/ATTACH]
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Wed, 21 December 2011, 21:02:59
Anyhow - it is slightly overdesigned for drop accidents. :P
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Fri, 23 December 2011, 06:40:17
I bought one to Computerware UK, as it seems the only serious distributor in Europe with at least an English site.

Let's see if the "royal" mail sends it to home...
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: fim on Fri, 23 December 2011, 08:29:09
Quote from: RPro;475571
I hope this shows up properly.

(Attachment) 35646[/ATTACH]

Is there something like this that can be purchased (and preferably not assembled with lego pieces :P) ?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Fri, 23 December 2011, 09:51:06
Quote from: fim;476579
Is there something like this that can be purchased (and preferably not assembled with lego pieces :P) ?


Any true GEEK warrior learns basic DIY skillz.

So...

If you want the elite of hardware for your comforability instead of computer mediocrity of this ****ty bad quality/design consumer industry, learn and get used to being less lazy ;)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Fri, 23 December 2011, 12:34:00
That's harsh tim! :) ;)

If you have a Lego store in your area, go to the back wall, find the colors you want, and try to fill up the $20 lego cup with as many long 2x8 and 2x4 blocks as you can find. That may barely be enough to make your own platform, but should be doable if you make a skeleton frame. You'll probably have to make do with extra pieces you have laying around to build the sidecar button platform though!

I may adjust the angle a bit - it's a little too steep right now - the ball sometimes "jumps" off the rollers, although luckily it doesn't affect the laser tracking!

My kill count in co-op left4dead has gone up 20% because of this mod...
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: fim on Fri, 23 December 2011, 15:22:29
Thanks for the info rpro. I just asked because I was kind of hoping that you got the idea from an existing stand or something (one with an embedded wrist rest for example would be really nice ;) ).
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Wed, 28 December 2011, 00:38:59
I actually use a small gel wristpad on the stand just "above" the trackball - works well. Although it is also a good idea to have a pad for your elbow! :)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Thu, 29 December 2011, 20:03:07
Quote from: RPro;476752
That's harsh tim! :) ;)


Hey! Reality is even worse. Real geeks must get used to extreme difficulties and a specially severely hostile environment for them (bad quality hardware in most shops, expensive prices for proper hardware, lots of time waster people that try you to avoid doing geek stuff, computer haters that at same time waste time on social networks, people that hate learning, females unattracted to geeks because different negative stereotypes that unfortunately sometimes are true...).

Do not be like sissies! Real geeks are stubborn, efficient, smart, strong, defensive and optimists! Scientific minds to the path of success. Be like Gordon Freeman, not like Bernard Bernoulli.

I'm waiting for my L-TrackX to come from ComputerWare UK. I'll ask them about it and a tracking number if no news soon.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: tomten_alle on Fri, 30 December 2011, 08:47:31
At their website they claim scroll wheel is optional. I have never seen a L-track without it, is their website wrong?
What model number would an 3200 dpi L-track without scroll wheel have? Is it even possible?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Toasty on Sun, 01 January 2012, 05:45:08
Just bought an L-TracX from computerware thanks to this thread, and it's a great mouse.

Coming from a Logitech marble mouse to this, I had a hard time adjusting to the very flat nature of the L-Trac. As a temporary fix, I stuck a cut down section of a pringles tube to it, which actually works quite well.

Also, I had a few problems with holding down the left mouse button, occasionally it would act as though the button had been let go for a split second, making scrolling pretty tough.  This was probably due to the way I held the mouse, as the buttons have a slight bit of movement when depressed due to their size. Adding a small piece of thick tape to the bottom of the key seems to have fixed it, and also shortens the travel distance slightly.

The scroll wheel seems fairly useless for actual browsing, so instead I set it to volume up and down, which works well as it's free spinning.

Overall, the problems I personally have with the mouse are fairly minor, it excels in movement and I love the larger ball, and DPI adjusting is solid, although the light is hard to see.

Does anyone have any recommendations for US size pool balls in the UK, as ours are a little smaller and don't fit correctly? Also I figure some sort of soft wrist rest would be best for further modification, any ideas on how to non-permanantly secure it to the mouse?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Sun, 01 January 2012, 19:52:02
Quote from: Toasty;481370
Just bought an L-TracX from computerware thanks to this thread, and it's a great mouse.

Coming from a Logitech marble mouse to this, I had a hard time adjusting to the very flat nature of the L-Trac. As a temporary fix, I stuck a cut down section of a pringles tube to it, which actually works quite well.

Also, I had a few problems with holding down the left mouse button, occasionally it would act as though the button had been let go for a split second, making scrolling pretty tough.  This was probably due to the way I held the mouse, as the buttons have a slight bit of movement when depressed due to their size. Adding a small piece of thick tape to the bottom of the key seems to have fixed it, and also shortens the travel distance slightly.

The scroll wheel seems fairly useless for actual browsing, so instead I set it to volume up and down, which works well as it's free spinning.

Overall, the problems I personally have with the mouse are fairly minor, it excels in movement and I love the larger ball, and DPI adjusting is solid, although the light is hard to see.

Does anyone have any recommendations for US size pool balls in the UK, as ours are a little smaller and don't fit correctly? Also I figure some sort of soft wrist rest would be best for further modification, any ideas on how to non-permanantly secure it to the mouse?


Hahahaha. I didn't figure balls and tits from UK had same issues about being smaller than US ones :P

Jokings aside...

I want to some nice pool ball near my country (Spain) or if there's a standard for pool balls I can specify it.

Are they easy to exchange?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: TheProfosist on Sun, 01 January 2012, 19:55:41
This (http://tinyurl.com/6ssmndw) is the ball that I use and recommended it smoother than any other ball ive come across and the dots are rather nice.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Sun, 01 January 2012, 20:34:09
Quote from: Toasty;481370
Just bought an L-TracX from computerware thanks to this thread, and it's a great mouse.

Coming from a Logitech marble mouse to this, I had a hard time adjusting to the very flat nature of the L-Trac. As a temporary fix, I stuck a cut down section of a pringles tube to it, which actually works quite well.

Also, I had a few problems with holding down the left mouse button, occasionally it would act as though the button had been let go for a split second, making scrolling pretty tough.  This was probably due to the way I held the mouse, as the buttons have a slight bit of movement when depressed due to their size. Adding a small piece of thick tape to the bottom of the key seems to have fixed it, and also shortens the travel distance slightly.

The scroll wheel seems fairly useless for actual browsing, so instead I set it to volume up and down, which works well as it's free spinning.

Overall, the problems I personally have with the mouse are fairly minor, it excels in movement and I love the larger ball, and DPI adjusting is solid, although the light is hard to see.

Does anyone have any recommendations for US size pool balls in the UK, as ours are a little smaller and don't fit correctly? Also I figure some sort of soft wrist rest would be best for further modification, any ideas on how to non-permanantly secure it to the mouse?


I want to some nice pool ball near my country (Spain) or if there's a standard for pool balls I can specify it.

I would like ones in materials like steel, some kind of stones, crystal and such.

Are they easy to exchange?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Toasty on Mon, 02 January 2012, 04:26:05
After using the mouse a little more, I've found that the left click problem is just an inherent problem with all the microswitches on the mouse. Instead of the click signifying when contact is broken, the switches actually lose contact slightly before. If you have a habit of easing off the buttons after depressing them, you'll occasionally hit the threshold and the mouse decides it's not clicking anymore.

To fix this, I took apart a cheap mouse and soldered in a different switch. I love how simple this mouse is to take apart and replace parts.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Tue, 03 January 2012, 23:11:12
Mine works flawlessly, no problems at all :)

I find the scroll wheel quite comfortable to use, better than those from mices that have a scratchy feel.

It's too ****ing precise, I'm still getting used to moving the cursor so fast.

I would like to change the ball, it works nice as it is but I want to touch something better. I think the plastic ball is too lightweight to my needs, I need something heavier.

Are there some ways to configure it in Linux? I mean stuff like dpi and such, not sure about the extra buttons. Maybe there's some info in the wiki, I'll check it soon.

I don't agree with many critics to this nice trackball. It might lack the style of Apple, but this piece of true industrial design works like a charm.

Thanks CST!
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: TheProfosist on Wed, 04 January 2012, 04:19:14
Quote from: timofonic;482878
Mine works flawlessly, no problems at all :)

I find the scroll wheel quite comfortable to use, better than those from mices that have a scratchy feel.

It's too ****ing precise, I'm still getting used to moving the cursor so fast.

I would like to change the ball, it works nice as it is but I want to touch something better. I think the plastic ball is too lightweight to my needs, I need something heavier.

Are there some ways to configure it in Linux? I mean stuff like dpi and such, not sure about the extra buttons. Maybe there's some info in the wiki, I'll check it soon.

I don't agree with many critics to this nice trackball. It might lack the style of Apple, but this piece of true industrial design works like a charm.

Thanks CST!

Here how i see it the schrool wheel is good as it exsist but its out of the way, you have to extend you had for ward to use it as you would the middle button. Which is a pain and takes away from the ergonomics. If it too precise tur down the dpi i thing 800 isnt low enough for tiles when u need low dpi whish it went a notch lower. The original ball isnt plastic itis the sale as any modern pool ball. I replaced mine with aramiths highest grade cue ball. Dpi and the extra buttont will work in linux without software. Dpi is harware controlled so linux wont even know it happenning. And the buttons will just be the default im sure u can use some other program to remap those.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Thu, 05 January 2012, 01:56:39
Quote from: TheProfosist;482985
Here how i see it the schrool wheel is good as it exsist but its out of the way, you have to extend you had for ward to use it as you would the middle button. Which is a pain and takes away from the ergonomics. If it too precise tur down the dpi i thing 800 isnt low enough for tiles when u need low dpi whish it went a notch lower. The original ball isnt plastic itis the sale as any modern pool ball. I replaced mine with aramiths highest grade cue ball. Dpi and the extra buttont will work in linux without software. Dpi is harware controlled so linux wont even know it happenning. And the buttons will just be the default im sure u can use some other program to remap those.



My hands are big and strong, so I reach perfectly to those parts of the trackball. Maybe that's the reason why I prefer Model M keyboards too. My ergonomics are quite weird and adapt quite well to this device, I don't have standard hands :D

My only downside with L-TracX is that the button switches are too soft for my tastes and I accidentally push them sometimes, I would prefer something more harder and clickier :)

I'm discovering the trackball with this nice niche product, it makes computing funnier and more comfortable.

DPI? How to change to the highest DPI mode? I'm not sure about it, there's no instructions on the box about it.

So the ball is the same material as a pool ball, I see. I would prefer something like wood or stone.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RPro on Thu, 05 January 2012, 02:15:59
tim, hold down the middle button then press the right button. It'll change the DPI. 800->1600->2400->3200 and back to 800 again. If you look closely at an angle you can just barely see the LED light up inside the casing - look towards the middle button.

I am getting used to the scroll wheel - but I still don't use it in games because I need the tactile feedback to know when I've switched weapon/inventory item/whatever. Maybe I should do a mod for that one day, using a cheap mouse with the tactile scroll  wheel (take the spring and add a notch or something somewhere). :P
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Thu, 05 January 2012, 21:53:19
Quote from: RPro;483649
tim, hold down the middle button then press the right button. It'll change the DPI. 800->1600->2400->3200 and back to 800 again. If you look closely at an angle you can just barely see the LED light up inside the casing - look towards the middle button.

I am getting used to the scroll wheel - but I still don't use it in games because I need the tactile feedback to know when I've switched weapon/inventory item/whatever. Maybe I should do a mod for that one day, using a cheap mouse with the tactile scroll  wheel (take the spring and add a notch or something somewhere). :P

What's the color code for each one? I see there's orange, red and green colours. I find the LED placement one of the most stupid design decisions EVER.

I *HATE* with too much passion FPS games and I read a lot, so not problems with that lack of tactile feedback that I dislike (I find the feel quite annoying). I also find this scroll wheel quite comfortable to use for my computer reading needs.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: demik on Thu, 05 January 2012, 23:35:41
my CST L-Trac X is in the mail :)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Thu, 05 January 2012, 23:55:38
Quote from: demik;484398
my CST L-Trac X is in the mail :)


You lucky american bastard ;)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Fri, 06 January 2012, 00:02:56
Quote from: ripster;484425
Lot of CST Info in my CST Review in my sig.

Hard to miss.

Ripster, how can I join your sect? :D
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: demik on Fri, 06 January 2012, 00:25:14
Quote from: timofonic;484418
You lucky american bastard ;)

funny enough, it's coming from canada lol

but i can't wait :) i already made 2 switches for it, and they have been sitting in my closet for like a month.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Fri, 06 January 2012, 15:09:39
Quote from: demik;484440
funny enough, it's coming from canada lol

but i can't wait :) i already made 2 switches for it, and they have been sitting in my closet for like a month.


Isn't Canada like USA with european flavour? At least they have public social security :)

For over a month? You seem a dangerous, obsesive person. I'm sure you have secret murdering plans to forum members too...
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: demik on Fri, 06 January 2012, 15:59:34
lol. Nope, I just had nothing to do one weekend and wanted to learn how to solder.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Glukos on Tue, 31 January 2012, 11:10:12
Which one should I choose: L-trac or L-trackX?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Glukos on Tue, 31 January 2012, 11:40:31
Didn't I? Sorry, Dude, my fault.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Glukos on Tue, 31 January 2012, 13:19:03
I'm going to use it at 800dpi with 19" 4:3 monitor for now =)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: misiu_mp on Thu, 16 February 2012, 15:45:32
Hallo there. I'm new to this forum and I can't understand how was it possible for me not to even know about the crazy world of keyboard fanatics until a few weeks ago.
I recently bought the CST L-TracX (but was inspired by this (http://hack.org/mc/computers.html) guy, so no commission to ripster).
My first impression was that it's huge. The scroll wheel works well - I keep my hand a little bit more forward to reach it. This way the ball is normally controlled by my proximal phalanges (3rd bones from the tip of the fingers). This works fine so far, but Ill its to early to judge.
I can see one major problem with it - and it's something others have reported too. The ball does not roll smoothly at slow, precision movements. It often gets stuck a little when I try to fine-control the cursor ( mark the last character of a sentence), and then jumps suddenly after it unblocks itself. I've been using it for a few hours now and the problem is persisting.
Now, I would open it up to clear/readjust the bearings, but it has that "unplug before service" sticker.
I might not be able to return it if I remove it and if it doesn't improve, I don't want it.
I really expected it to be silky smooth for the money it costs. Do you guys think I should return it?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: woebtz on Thu, 16 February 2012, 16:21:56
@misiu_mp: My CST L-Trac got slightly smoother over a few months of use, but it's not and I don't think it'll ever be silky smooth (like a worn-in, greasy, Kensington Expert).

I just compensate by adjusting my mouse acceleration--low sensitivity with little/initial movement, higher sensitivity with more.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: misiu_mp on Thu, 16 February 2012, 17:58:45
@ripster: yeah, I actually read all there was about it here, and it wasn't an easy task. There is no conclusive solution to my problem.
@woebtz: months is not a timescale I paid for, so its not good. I'm not sure what that Kensington Expert silky smooth is like, but its not necessarily needed. All I want is to be able to consistently select single words or even characters of text, without this thing jerking around. I like to use high dpi setting to minimize the needed move of the ball, but even at a lower setting, the accuracy is not good. Did you have the problem with jerkiness at really slow rolling speeds yourself?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: woebtz on Thu, 16 February 2012, 20:05:38
Oh, I don't have an LTrac...

Anywho, this is what's possible with my settings:



[ATTACH=CONFIG]40815[/ATTACH]
* For the trackballs, I used my left hand to hold down the mouse button and right hand to draw the shapes.

The CST is definitely jerky at slow speeds (and when trying to move the cursor diagonally), but no trackballs can really compare to a mouse's accuracy (finger/palm rolling vs. finger/wrist/shoulder control).
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: misiu_mp on Sun, 19 February 2012, 06:56:28
Are you left handed or right handed?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RTbar on Tue, 21 February 2012, 13:27:49
So is scrolling a problem with the l-track, or is it a non-issue? I am considering selling my Slimblade and purchasing a CST because I find that the ball on the Slimblade sticks out too far out of the casing for my smaller hands to effectively control... and my thumb is starting to hurt from twisting the ball so much to scroll.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: o2dazone on Tue, 21 February 2012, 13:40:15
homo_finger.html
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: RTbar on Tue, 21 February 2012, 15:05:45
my middle finger sticks out a half inch over the others so I should be good then
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: o2dazone on Tue, 21 February 2012, 15:45:46
Quote from: ripster;520910
BTW didn't you say you were struggling to reach the scroll wheel?
(Attachment) 41283[/ATTACH]

I did, but I always just attributed it to masturbating too much.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: J-P on Thu, 23 February 2012, 14:01:06
Hey guys -  I've just purchased this fine Darth Vader-esque piece of kit and am using it in OSX (Lion). Just noticed how ****ty the mouse options are - and I'm getting some crazy delay/acceleration problems when operating at speed. Is there a fix for this? I googled a little, but could find nothing. It's not a giant issue for everyday use, but it will be for games.

I dunno if this is the right place to be posting this - but... help!
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Typhaeon on Thu, 23 February 2012, 15:42:33
I'm also having occasional issues with the mouse completely freaking out tracking-wise when I haven't moved it in awhile.  It seems to turn slow movements into really fast ones, and it can be really disorienting when trying to adjust the camera or movement in games.  Anybody else had this happen?  I clean the ball pretty frequently, so it isn't gummed up.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: J-P on Thu, 23 February 2012, 17:08:44
http://www.senlick.com/  solved my issue - costs $20 though . It figures that apple completely screwed with the curve on mouse (info here: http://tidbits.com/article/8893).  Any other tweaks that are freely installable to OSX?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: boli on Sun, 26 February 2012, 04:48:44
Quote from: J-P;523528
http://www.senlick.com/  solved my issue - costs $20 though . It figures that apple completely screwed with the curve on mouse (info here: http://tidbits.com/article/8893).  Any other tweaks that are freely installable to OSX?


FYI, it seems that USB Overdrive is no longer being developed. I used it for years but recently had to remove it because gestures on the Apple Trackpad wouldn't work otherwise. Now I use ControllerMate (http://www.orderedbytes.com/controllermate/) instead, which BTW has a graphical editor for the mouse acceleration curve. You can also remap keyboards with it, if you wish (which I used during my TrulyErgonomic test (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?27089-A-Kinesis-Advantage-fan-tries-the-TrulyErgonomic-keyboard))

I think there's also some freeware to get rid of mouse acceleration in OS X, but I'm unable to find it ATM. :(
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: J-P on Sun, 26 February 2012, 17:04:09
Quote from: boli;526544
FYI, it seems that USB Overdrive is no longer being developed. I used it for years but recently had to remove it because gestures on the Apple Trackpad wouldn't work otherwise. Now I use ControllerMate (http://www.orderedbytes.com/controllermate/) instead, which BTW has a graphical editor for the mouse acceleration curve. You can also remap keyboards with it, if you wish (which I used during my TrulyErgonomic test (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?27089-A-Kinesis-Advantage-fan-tries-the-TrulyErgonomic-keyboard))

I think there's also some freeware to get rid of mouse acceleration in OS X, but I'm unable to find it ATM. :(


Vielen Dank Boli! I'm installing it now :)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: PixelVandalism on Tue, 28 February 2012, 04:23:34
Would there be something cheaper to try for a first trackball?
Maybe a fake version?
I don't wanna go and spend all that money on one of these only to not use it.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Tue, 28 February 2012, 10:44:37
Quote from: PixelVandalism;529187
Would there be something cheaper to try for a first trackball?
Maybe a fake version?
I don't wanna go and spend all that money on one of these only to not use it.

Get a second hand CH trackball. It's vintage and low res, but you can check if you feel comfortable.

I got a TracX and I'm very happy with it. It's the best piece of pointing device I ever used in my life, even if I manually modded it to fit my weird hand ergonomics...

Anyway, I have big hands so I find the scroll wheel quite comfortable too.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: fim on Tue, 28 February 2012, 15:26:09
Any idea where I can get a wrist rest for my CST L-Trac similar to the one below?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]42090[/ATTACH]
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/7826/p1010894yo.jpg
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: PixelVandalism on Tue, 28 February 2012, 20:27:06
Quote from: timofonic;529423
Get a second hand CH trackball. It's vintage and low res, but you can check if you feel comfortable.

I got a TracX and I'm very happy with it. It's the best piece of pointing device I ever used in my life, even if I manually modded it to fit my weird hand ergonomics...

Anyway, I have big hands so I find the scroll wheel quite comfortable too.

Things like that seem to be hard to find here..
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Wed, 29 February 2012, 02:43:50
Quote from: fim;529674
Any idea where I can get a wrist rest for my CST L-Trac similar to the one below?

(Attachment) 42090[/ATTACH]
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/7826/p1010894yo.jpg

Well, maybe too many geeks have female hands (like scientifically said in Ripster's reference). But I'm a strong and rude geek. This trackball seems designed for me.


REAL MEN HAVE BIG BALLS
[ATTACH=CONFIG]42144[/ATTACH]
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: PixelVandalism on Wed, 29 February 2012, 02:53:12
Someone should donate one of their balls to help me convert. ;) ;) ;) ;)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Wed, 29 February 2012, 02:54:46
Quote from: PixelVandalism;530575
Someone should donate one of their balls to help me convert. ;) ;) ;) ;)

Do you want to touch my balls? Pervert!
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: PixelVandalism on Wed, 29 February 2012, 02:57:22
Not touch.
Fondle.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Wed, 29 February 2012, 03:14:55
Quote from: PixelVandalism;530579
Not touch.
Fondle.

NO WAY!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]42147[/ATTACH]
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: PixelVandalism on Wed, 29 February 2012, 03:35:49
IT'S ALREADY HAPPENING!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]42148[/ATTACH]
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Wed, 29 February 2012, 03:39:22
Quote from: PixelVandalism;530595
IT'S ALREADY HAPPENING!

(Attachment) 42148[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]42149[/ATTACH]
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: ped on Wed, 29 February 2012, 17:53:51
This thing is huge! I just got it in the post and it's somewhat awkward to use, for now at least. I feel like I'm riding a bicycle for the first time because I'm so clumsy with it. Hopefully I'll grow accustomed to it fairly soon though.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: timofonic on Wed, 29 February 2012, 17:58:25
Quote from: ped;531270
This thing is huge! I just got it in the post and it's somewhat awkward to use, for now at least. I feel like I'm riding a bicycle for the first time because I'm so clumsy with it. Hopefully I'll grow accustomed to it fairly soon though.

I got it, and feeled that way for the first week. But I got used to it eventually, now I'm a lot more precise and fast moving the cursor than using a mice.

Just get used to it, it can take more or less time depending on your abilities. Also, you should adapt it to make it more comfortable (try experimenting a bit before).
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: o2dazone on Wed, 29 February 2012, 18:11:34
I've had mine for a few weeks now, and I found myself controlling the ball with the middle of my fingers where the second joint is. It's solid enough that I can control it, and I can scroll the wheel without moving my fingers. Occasionally, I'll roll the ball where my finger between the first knuckle and second knuckle sit and control it there. Ultimately, I'm moving my hand around a lot more, which makes my hand feel pretty comfortable actually.

I still prefer the Slimblade when it comes to scrolling though. I'm not quite as constricted to how my hand rests on the ball to scroll, so I can control the ball and scroll more freely, opposed to my CST, where, if I wanted to scroll, I have to make sure my fingers are completely extended
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: PixelVandalism on Fri, 02 March 2012, 23:16:22
I found someone who has an old track-ball.
Hopefully it'll be something decent.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Kerosene on Mon, 05 March 2012, 07:42:49
Now that I have been using the thing for a while, I'm happy I bought it, but I think I'll have to go back to mouse for gaming. Have not bothered with the extra button project.
It would make a ton of sense for the trackball to be wireless so it would fill the sofa niche which mice are bad at.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: All The Fire on Tue, 06 March 2012, 22:04:59
Oh god, I'm leaving this thread before the temptation overpowers my common sense. D:
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: J-P on Wed, 07 March 2012, 06:19:04
mmm ball fondling.

I've been using mine for a few weeks now and I've ended up slightly propping up the bottom so it tilts forward (that make sense?). Really comfortable and on the 27in iMac screen it's running at 1600 most of the time. I ran through quake 2, Half Life 2 and Portal 2 (co-op) on it. Gotta say - nicest trackball I've ever used.

Nothing quite like purging the Strogg to AC/DC's 'Big Balls' :D

I have the sausage-fingered man-hands of my Viking ancestors though. Scroll wheel is easy to reach. The only negative point is that sometimes the wheel is a bit slippy. I'm sure it's probably easy to fix though.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: All The Fire on Wed, 07 March 2012, 06:50:37
How does looking around in game feel on one of these, can you get to be as fluid as a mouse? I just can't help thinking it would turn out jerky and restrictive like using a gamepad. And are you able to look, aim and shoot at the same time, seems it would be a bit of a stretch?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: PixelVandalism on Wed, 07 March 2012, 06:55:24
Quote from: All The Fire;537653
How does looking around in game feel on one of these, can you get to be as fluid as a mouse? I just can't help thinking it would turn out jerky and restrictive like using a gamepad. And are you able to look, aim and shoot at the same time, seems it would be a bit of a stretch?

If I ever get one of these, I don't want to use it to game.
I exclusively game one these (http://www.logitech.com/en-us/mice-pointers/mice/devices/9472)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: J-P on Wed, 07 March 2012, 08:56:44
I don't see why it should be jerky or restrictive, and it's certainly not like using a gamepad. It moves as fluidly as any mouse. I think the larger ball helps. I also use a trackball at work (logitech M570) - I think that would also be perfectly usable for gaming.

I had no problems hitting LM / RM to shoot things whilst circle strafing, and I was able to have enough control to get head-shots. It's quite relaxing to not have to be moving the camera at all while moving... also, middle-click+RM changes the resolution, so you use a sight to zoom in and up the rez to 32000 (too fast for me though). Also, 180 degree turn-and-shoot spin is super easy to pull off after a little practice.

I am not a 'major gamer' on my PC - and I don't have any need for super responsiveness in a competitive environment. I played SC2 on it just fine too.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: o2dazone on Thu, 08 March 2012, 10:37:08
I've gamed for almost 10 years on my Microsoft Trackball Optical. I played TF2 just fine, topping out on the more hardcore servers in top k:d ratio. I was also in a Season 2 2200 Arena team in World of Warcraft with the mouse. I think most people just don't give it enough time. They use it for a month, say "Oh I'm not as accurate" and switch back to a mouse. I've had my CST for about 1.5 months, and while I'm still not as comfortable on it as my thumb operated trackball that I've been using for years, I'm not struggling with it. The more fine tune stuff I'm a bit slower at (Photoshop, gaming), but given 1.5 months, I'd say I'm about 70% there. I don't even think about using it, I just reach over, and everything is immediately familiar.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: fossala on Fri, 09 March 2012, 09:35:45
Ripster, Did you use quick disconnects with the sanwa switches? You wouldn't know where I could get them in the UK? Also did you go for the 2.4mm or the 3mm?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Typhaeon on Fri, 09 March 2012, 10:21:21
I have an issue with this ball in games sometimes where a very fine movement will occasionally leave me looking about 270 degrees the other way and straight up.  If I could sort this particular kink out, this trackball would be nearly perfect.  Anybody else solved this same problem?
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: sordna on Fri, 09 March 2012, 10:46:27
Quote from: fossala;540063
Ripster, Did you use quick disconnects with the sanwa switches? You wouldn't know where I could get them in the UK? Also did you go for the 2.4mm or the 3mm?


You mean 24mm or 30mm. Hey, apart from Sanwa there's also Seimitsu. They have a model (the PS-15 with 30mm diameter) that's low profile, almost 1cm in overall length than the Sanwas. A photo with dimensions is here (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:26579#Part+5:+Adding+palm+keys). They snap-in.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: fossala on Fri, 09 March 2012, 10:48:13
Quote from: sordna;540115
You mean 24mm or 30mm. Hey, apart from Sanwa there's also Seimitsu. They have a model (the PS-15 with 30mm diameter) that's low profile, almost 1cm in overall length than the Sanwas. A photo with dimensions is here (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:26579#Part+5:+Adding+palm+keys). They snap-in.

I know I like sanwas because it is what is in my hori pro.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: sordna on Fri, 09 March 2012, 10:53:51
Hmm, I must get a pair to compare to the Seimitsu's, I use mine as palm keys and they are VERY comfy:

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=43077&d=1331189748]) (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:26579)
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: fossala on Fri, 09 March 2012, 10:57:05
In the UK Seimitsu's are more expensive by about 50p. I may buy both as I only need 2 and they cost couple of quid each.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: fossala on Sat, 10 March 2012, 10:45:41
Yeah, If you make a wiki I will add to it when I do my mod.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: sordna on Sat, 10 March 2012, 10:47:51
Quote from: fossala;540063
Ripster, Did you use quick disconnects with the sanwa switches? You wouldn't know where I could get them in the UK? Also did you go for the 2.4mm or the 3mm?

Lots of generic quick connects will fit. I just added arcade buttons to my other Advantage LF keyboard, and used these quick connects I found at a local store; they are only slightly wider that the button leads, which doesn't really matter. They attach really snug anyway:

(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=43381&d=1331370962) (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:26579&p=540897&viewfull=1#post540897)

No soldering required at all for this mod, it's very easy.
Title: CST L-Trac laser trackball
Post by: Netdewt on Fri, 30 March 2012, 20:47:47
Has anyone tried rollermouse vs L trac? I have a rollermouse coming Monday and I was thinking of getting one of these too to compare.